A Twist of Fate
by Alyson Metallium
Summary: Strange sounds assaulted his ears while his nose breathed in the unfamiliar air . . . Inu YashaBlue Seed crossover SessKag
1. Extensive Notes, MUST READ!

**A Twist of Fate notes:**  
  
Hey all! Well, after a year of hemming and hawing, I finally got the first (and second) chapter of this potential monstrosity out of my mind and onto the computer. Problem is, not everyone is familiar with the Blue Seed series, and for this particular fic you really do need to have a working knowledge of that particular anime. Especially taking into consideration the time frame I've put this particular story in. Unfortunately, I can't give you readers a working knowledge of the Blue Seed characters without spoiling some of the anime surprises for you. *cries* And believe me, I've been trying to think of a way to do so, but no solution has really presented itself. So if you're wanting to watch Blue Seed, ADV has put out a DVD collection of all four discs, Blue Seed, the Perfect Collection, for a decent price, which you could probably get for even cheaper on ebay. And I'm sure the VHS are probably even cheaper than that, it's just that there are a lot of them (13 in all). If you have NO desire to watch the Blue Seed anime but just want to read the story and don't mind spoilers, then by all means keep reading. ^^;; So, here we go, Blue Seed, 101.  
  
Blue Seed is, in my infamous yet accurate description, "A cute anime about a human sacrifice." Amazingly enough, after the person I gave that description to saw the series herself, she agreed with me. There are 26 episodes all total in the TV series, with three OAV episodes making up the second season (which, sadly, hasn't been released in the US and I've had major problems finding it fan subbed). Also, I recommend watching it subbed as opposed to dubbed, because ADV did a REALLY bad job dubbing the series, and Momiji sounds, well, not like herself.  
  
Basic storyline as taken from the back of the Blue Seed DVD set:  
  
For thousands of years the forces of the Aragami have been held in check by a steady diet of human sacrifices (actually, it's more like the death of the Kushinada causes the Arigami to fall into an eternal slumber), but now the bonds have been broken and mankind's oldest and deadliest enemies are stirring. To combat an enemy who can attack anywhere, anytime, without notice will require the most talented agents from around the world and every resource available to modern civilization. The most effective armaments, however, could be two very special human weapons. Joining the battle are Momiji Fujimiya, last daughter of the family charged with containing the Aragami, and Mamoru Kusanagi, former servant of the Aragami.  
  
What's neat about the series as well is that after every two episodes, they have an omake, or extra episode that has NOTHING to do with the main storyline what so ever. Example, the first omake has to deal with Kusanagi taking risqué pictures of all the women in the series and selling them to Kunikida. At the end they get shot up by Momiji and the rest of the gang.  
  
Now for the character profiles, which were compiled by **Ruri-san** and posted on their Blue Seed site, Beyond the Blue: Blue Seed and Blue Seed 2. [ ] If you're REALLY curious about the series, I recommend visiting this site. Everything is well thought out, with wonderful episode summaries (including of Blue Seed 2, which is rather hard to find), zodiac signs, pictures, the Japanese myth that the Blue Seed series idea was taken from, and much much more. A ton of effort was put into this site, and it shows.  
  
**Momiji Fujimiya:** Momiji is a fifteen year old girl born and raised in Izumo, the birthplace of many Japanese myths and legends. She has always considered herself to be normal; just a typical girl, really, but when Kusanagi enters her life, she finds out that that is far from the truth.  
He tells her that she is the daughter of the Kushinada family, one of two twins and that he has come to kill, her. Luckily she is saved by the TAC, but not before meeting Orochi, an Aragami monster who has plans of his own for her.  
At first, Momiji can't accept what Kusnagi has told her, because... well, let's face it: Momiji is far from being out of the ordinary in an kind of way. In fact, she'll be the first to tell you that she isn't very bright - and she's not all that graceful, either, come to think of it... But she is sweet, she cares for others and throws her whole heart into something once she's made her mind up.  
  
Momiji has an unfailing faith that humanity is inherently good and this plays a large role in how she views herself as the Kushinada. She endears herself to those around her; even those who don't really like her and discovers that love can be quite wonderful and painful at the same time...  
Momiji finds dealing with Mamoru Kusanagi, her self-appointed protector, difficult and trying at times, but comes to rely on his presence in more ways than one. He seems oblivious to her feelings, and Momiji is too shy to express how she feels...   
  
**Side note by me:** Dead center in Momiji's chest is a dark blue Mitama (soul) that she received when she threw herself in front of a killing blow that was aimed at Kusanagi. This Mitama helps enhance some of her psychic abilities when it comes to pinpointing Aragami locations (when they're close to them) by giving off a high pitched ringing and pulsing with a white light that's very visible.  
  
**Momiji Picture Links:**  
  
  
  
; Momiji leaps between Kusanagi and Orochi  
; Impalement  
  
**Yamata no Orochi:** Yamata no Orochi; monster of the Kushinada legend that was slain by the Storm god Susano-oh. Orochi makes his debut at the beginning of Blue Seed and he captures Momiji to sacrifice her inside of a ceramic field in order to free the Aragami race from the power of the Kushinada. Not only is he the arch enemy of the Kushinada, he is also the one responsible for killing Mamoru Kusanagi's parents and enslaving him to the Aragami race.   
Orochi gave the toddler Kusanagi seven of his souls to make him stronger so that he might protect the Princess Kushinada. He did this not out of kindess but out of determination to keep the humans from sacrificing the young Princess and sending the Aragami back into eternal slumber. He is Kusanagi's master, and he doesn't take to betrayal very well, attempting to kill Kusanagi for rebelling against the Aragami.  
  
He is unsuccessful, however and ironically ends up dispensing another of his Aragami souls to save Momiji in order to ensure the Aragami's continued presence in the human world.  
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Orochi Picture Links (sorry for the low quality):**  
  
  
  
  
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Mamoru Kusanagi:** Mamoru Kusanagi, or Kusanagi as he is usually called - the guy with green hair, orange skin, cat-like eyes and an over developed sense of invincibility. His first name literally means guardian in Japanese, but you very rarely hear anyone call him by his first name. He is usually referred to as "Kusanagi" which also has significance in the Kushinada legend: Kusanagi no Tsurugi, a sword with the name "Grass Cutter. Kusanagi has no home nor family.   
He was enslaved as a child by Yamata no Orochi who killed his parents, priests of a Shinto shrine, and then charged Kusanagi with protecting Kaede, the Kushinada. He served the Aragami well, until he thought that they had killed Kaede, and then he rebelled against them, seeking revenge and freedom from them. So he set out to kill the other Kushinada, Kaede's twin, Momiji. He traveled all the way to Izumo, but was followed by Orochi and instead of killing Momiji, he found himself protecting her.  
  
Kusanagi seems to enjoy irritating Momiji, about her underwear, especially and is not too bright when it comes to understanding how she feels about him.  
  
**Side note:** Kusanagi's weapon of choice is a pair of plant like "blades" that come out of his arms. They remind me of really long, sharp, sword like thorns, and he's very skilled at using them.  
  
**Kusanagi Picture links:**  
  
  
; This one kinda shows you his plant blades.  
  
**Kaede Kunikida/Kaede Kushinada: ** Kaede Kunikida is the Princess Kushinada. She was first born to the Fujimiya family and at her and Momiji's birth (my note: the birth of the twins and the division of the Kushinada power is what woke the Aragami up in the first place), the two were split apart with the hopes that it would be easier to protect them that way. Kaede takes her responsibilities as the Kushinada very seriously, but as she grows, she begins to question just what her responsibility as the Kushinada is. Her search leads her on a journey far away from her family and the TAC, and she disappears in a bright pillar of light at the beginning of the series. Kaede is the antithesis of Momiji: refined, mature, intelligent and graceful; and yet at times, Momiji shows wisdom beyond Kaede's understanding.   
  
Despite her absence, Kaede's presence continually haunts Momiji's life, for Kusanagi cared deeply for the Princess Kushinada and upon her return, his preoccupation with Kaede leads him away from Momiji on a search for the Kaede who disappeared and an unacceptance of the Kaede that took her place.   
**  
Kaede Picture Links: **  
  
  
  
**Daitetsu Kunikida:** Mr. Daitetsu Kunikida was born in Tokyo and is the leader of the TAC. He also happens to be Kaede's adoptive father and was devastated when she disappeared, seemingly struck down by the Aragami. He is a rather rugged and gruff individual, but inside he's nothing but a softie. After Kaede's disappearance, he leads the TAC to Izumo, to protect the other Kushinada, Momiji, and after a battle with Orochi, takes Momiji back to Tokyo in order to protect her. Momiji's grandmother has given him custody of Momiji, and Kunikida comes to care deeply for her, just like he cared for his daughter Kaede. Kunikida exemplifies honor and consciousness, wanting to protect his country but not at the cost of the life of an innocent girl.  
  
He is torn between duty and what he believes to be right and wrong, and when the Japanese government wrests Momiji away from the TAC to offer her as a human sacrifice, he rebels against them to steal her back, unwilling to let them sacrifice her, believing that there has to be another way to stop the Aragami.  
  
He is very dedicated to his job and Japan, and develops a special bond not only with Momiji, but also with another member of the TAC in particular.  
  
**Kunikida Picture Links:**  
  
  
**Koume Sawaguchi:** Kome Sawaguchi is from lower Tokyo. She used to be with the Ground Self Defense Force where she earned the nickname "The Hurricane". She has a very tough exterior, feeling that her strength is what defines her as a person. At the beginning of Blue Seed she is transferred to the TAC, but doesn't seem to be very happy about it. In fact, when she happens to run into her supervisor from the Self Defense Force on an airfield on the way to Izumo, she clobbers him in the face for transferring her without telling her!  
  
Kome is uncomfortable expressing emotion except when it comes to her weaponry. She is very passionate about her guns and rocket launchers, which is reflected in her personal motto of: "If you have bullets, keep shooting." It's a motto that she takes very seriously and demonstrates devotion to time and time again. She displays a tendency to be headstrong and a bit rebellious, and she is of the opinion that she can overcome any Aragami monster if she has enough fire power, which is not always the case. She also happens to be very superstitious, something that is at odds with her rough exterior.  
  
But Kome is not always what she seems; she may be tough on the outside, but inside, she is caring and, I think, a bit self-conscious. Her warmer side can be seen when she finds and befriends an abandoned puppy and again when she develops an attachment towards one of her co-workers.  
  
**Koume Picture Links:**  
  
  
**Azusa Matsudaira:** Azusa Matsudaira is the penultimate scientist. She lives for her projects, burying herself in her research so deeply, that she often forgets everything else, from eating and sleeping to outings with her son and her ex-husband. Matsu is from the Aichi prefecture and she came to the TAC through the Science and Technology Agency. She is a specialist in biotechnology and sometimes her knowledge is the only thing that saves the members of the TAC from being obliterated by giant Aragami monsters.   
  
Matsu is a quiet individual, and despite having her nose buried in her projects, she often makes very perspicacious observations concerning the other members of the TAC: Momiji and Takeuchi, in particular. She is also a maniacal driver and can wield missile launchers with the best of them!  
  
Matsu Picture Links:   
  
  
**Ryoko Takeuchi:** Ryoko Takeuchi was born in Hokkaido in northern Japan. She was an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department before coming to work for the TAC. Ryoko is a very calm and collected person. She is strong and yet gentle, and she has an enormous crush on the man in charge of the TAC. Ryoko is a very likable character, taking charge when necessary and often offering support and words of comfort to Momiji when she is troubled. Ryoko feels responsible for Kaede's death, since she went after Kaede to try and stop her but was unable to do so.  
  
Ryoko gets along with everyone, except for Sugishita who is constantly rubbing her the wrong way with his constant come-ons and one-liners.  
  
Like Daitetsu Kunikida, Ryoko has a strong love of country and a strong sense of duty, and again like Kunikida, she is unwilling to offer Momiji as a sacrifice, even when Momiji has willingly accepted her fate.  
  
**Takeuchi Picture Links:**  
  
  
**Yoshiki Yaegashi: ** Mr. Yoshiki Yaegashi; the computer specialist and all around nerd... And yet you can't help but like him and feel just a little bit sorry for him when he develops a crush on Momiji. Yaegashi is a native of the Miyagi Prefecture and before transferring to the TAC he was with the Economic Planning Agency. He is quiet but has an obsession with...adult oriented computer games. He even develops a program to detect and track the Aragami based on the mathematical probability of what kind of underpants Momiji is wearing.   
  
He is good at number crunching but hopeless when it comes to weaponry. Although, as the story progresses, we see his determination to overcome what he feels are some of his shortcomings, learning to fire a rocket launcher and then, later, a bazooka in order to try and win Momiji's heart. He has a tendency to get on Kome Sawaguchi's nerves and she is constantly yelling at him and even pulverizes him a time or two... Is it any wonder that these two get together? After all, opposites do attract!  
  
**Yaegashi Picture Links:**  
  
  
**Sakura Yamazaki: ** Sakura Yamazaki is a CIA operative sent to Japan to scout out the Aragami situation. She was born in Japan, and her family was responsible for banishing a water monster, Nodzuchi (sp?). When Momiji and Kaede were born, the water monster awoke. Sakura's mother died trying to banish it and Sakura was taken to America by a government agent. She has a great deal in common with Kusanagi. Perhaps that is why they are always competing against one another to see who can kill the Aragami first...   
  
Sakura is attractive, over-confident in her abilities and can be accused of not knowing her own strength (such as when she demolished a construction site). She loves the limelight and gets quite testy when she feels that she is being upstaged; one of the main reasons for her dislike of Momiji. As far as she's concerned: Momiji is nothing but a sacrifice; where's the talent in that? Whereas Sakura has worked to become a top notch priestess. She is bold, out-going, and in Kusanagi's own words, has a lot of nerve. Despite her exhibitionism, she is a great character and a lot of fun to watch.  
  
**Sakura Picture Links:**  
  
  
  
  
**Shunichi Sugishita:** Shunichi Sugishita is twenty five years of age and considers himself to be quite the ladies' man. He is the General Manager of the Aragami Countermeasure Management Command Center and works as a go between for Metropolitan Police Department and the Terrestrial Administration Center (aka TAC). Not many people get to be manager at his age, or so he says. And Momiji seems to be quite impressed by this fact, until Takeuchi tells her that his department is where Metro dumps all the losers. Takeuchi and Sugishita used to work together at the Metro Police Department, a fact that he tries hard to get her to remember, and a fact that she would just as soon forget.   
  
Sugishita is always making passes at Takeuchi and usually gets beat up for his efforts. He even makes a pass at Sakura and ends up getting burnt there, too. Poor boy; some guys were just born to lose, I guess....  
  
**Murakumo:** Murakumo emerges as a powerful nemesis; an Aragami in human form. He considers himself to be the perfect specimen, for he has eight souls and Kusanagi an imperfect specimen for Kusanagi only has seven. He is stronger, faster and meaner than Kusanagi, just because of one measly blue seed. He is not what I would call an ultimate bad guy; he's more of the shady grey kind... He is bad though, willing to exterminate those of his own race who act out of their own selfish reasons, and yet when there is an opportunity to exterminate members of the TAC, he doesn't. Maybe it's because he feels that it is beneath someone of his perfect caliber to do so, or perhaps it is because he is NOT the perfect bad guy, but just a plant guy who wants to establish the kingdom Ne No Kuni; Kingdom of the Roots and home to Aragami.  
  
Murakumo's short-term goal is the rebirth of Lord Susano-oh, the guardian deity of the Aragami. It is through Susano-oh that he believes that his Kingdom will be established. But he gradually realizes that he is being used, and he rebels against the god he worked so hard to bring to earth.  
  
**Murakumo Picture Links:**  
  
; He's the guy in front  
  
**Susano-oh (Susano-oh no Mikoto):** Susano-oh of legend slew Orochi no Orochi and wed the Princess Kushinada. Susano-oh's role in the here and now of Blue Seed is not quite so cut and dried however. He is the guardian deity of the Aragami, but how can this possibly be, when in legend he killed one of the greatest Aragami monsters? Could it be that the legend is incorrect? That Susano-oh really does want to do away with the existence of the human race? Is this what he has told Kaede, the Kushinada? And if that is so, why does he keep calling to Momiji, sending her dreams and visions of the future?  
  
It could be argued that he calls to Momiji because he can't control his power as a child and that the dreams and visions she has have nothing to do with Susano-oh, but are a result of her innate power and the power of the mitama that is embedded in her chest. It's a toss up, either way, but I have my own theories as to Susano-oh's role as guardian deity and husband to the Kushinada... I won't bore you with them, however.  
  
**Group Picture Links:**  
; From left to right: Matsu, Takeuchi, Koume, Kusanagi, Momiji, Kunikida, Sakura  
; Kaede and Momiji in their Kushinada ritual outfits, and Kusanagi  
; From front to back, Momiji, Takeuchi, Koume, and Kaede  
; Momiji and plushes of everyone (I thought it was cute)  
; The TAC  
; Sakura and Kusanagi with his plant blades.  
Momiji and the TAC, you can see her Mitama here.  
; Momiji, Kaede, Murakumo, and Kusanagi. You can see the light her Mitama emits when an Aragami is near.  
Opposing Forces  
  
Now for the timeline. The Inu Yasha timeline takes place roughly a month after the events in Tankouben Volume 18. If you haven't caught up with the manga translations, I recommend going here [ ] I'm going to be pulling heavily from the manga since I'm pretty much unable to keep up with the anime due to bizarre DVD problems with the Hong Kong sets, and my computer being unable to download and play them from the internet. And I'm too cheap to go and get the commercial DVDs at the moment, so I'm kind of stuck. ^^;; At least until the box sets are released. ^_~ Having said that, you'll probably notice that I use the anime look of the characters, as opposed to the manga look.  
  
For the Blue Seed timeline, this takes place shortly after episode 19 of the anime series. I'm going to be doing some major screwing around with the timeline here, because around episode 19/20 things really start moving fast in the BS world, heading towards it's conclusion. I'll be making references to things that have happened in previous episodes. Basically, the group has found out that Kaede is alive and working for the Aragami for reasons yet unknown. She is taking the young Susano-oh to places of stored up psychic power in order for him to grow.   
  
Inu Yasha is the property of Rumiko Takashi, and Blue Seed is the property of Yuzo Takada. I don't own anything but the situations contained within this fic. Wheeee! Finally, on with the fic!  



	2. Stirrings of Evil

Last note: This whole story is dedicated to my Beta, Celyia. She's the one who read the first chapter and promptly beat me for more, assuring me that the story didn't suck, and pointing out inconsitancies I had with the characters that shouldn't have been in there. I also want to thank Zanne, who also told me the story didn't suck and supported it from the time it was simply a seed of an idea that popped into my head two years ago. Let's just hope I can keep going in the vein that I'm heading. Thanks guys. ^^  
  
  
Chapter One:  
Stirrings of Evil  
  
  
The distant peal of thunder was a suitable accompaniment to the sound of angrily stomping feet moving through the forest. The stomping was punctuated every other step with a curse of one form or another, and any animals with a single ounce of self preservation in the nearby vicinity had long since fled their shelters for fear of coming under the heated glare of the source of the angry mutterings.  
  
Kagome Higurashi mentally "sat" a certain hanyou with every step she took as she cursed him out loud, "BAKA" being her current favorite word of description. A few birds that hadn't taken flight because fear froze them to their perch wondered how it was the vegetation below them didn't catch fire from the angry heat that rolled off the young woman in waves.  
  
"Inu Yasha no BAKA BAKA BAAAAAKAAAAAAA!!!!!" Kagome suddenly yelled, pausing to turn and toss her complaints back in the direction she had come from. "I was just worried about you! You didn't have to be so insulting over my suggestion that you stay at my house tonight instead of continuing to hunt for Shikon shards!"  
  
Turning once again on her heel, Kagome continued on her way towards the village. If Inu Yasha was going to be such a jerk about the New Moon tonight, then Kagome was going to make him come after her in Kaede's village so that he would at least be somewhere slightly safer than out in the youkai infested forest. Sure, Miroku and Sango were there, as well, but she knew she would sleep easier tonight with Inu Yasha safely ensconced inside.  
  
Personally, Kagome didn't see what was so bad about her suggestion that he return with her to the future. He would be human and she would have been able to show him around the city, maybe even introduce him to the movies. She even had an answer ready in case she ran into one of her friends. Inu Yasha would have been a family friend visiting from out of town. She had been sure that the thought of getting fresh, home made ramen would have enticed him to come with her if nothing else, but nooooo, Inu Yasha nixed that idea in his own "gentle" way. In the process, not only did he anger Kagome, but he also injuring her feelings and made her angry. Glaring at him, Kagome had turned and stalked off, tossing a series of very pissed off sounding "SITS" over her shoulder as Inu Yasha had demanded to know why she was so angry.  
  
Muttering under he breath about insensitive dog demons and how they could be such jackasses, Kagome didn't pay much attention to the shifting light as massive storm clouds began to inch their way across the sky. But a sudden thought caused her to pause in midstep as a shadow seemed to pass over her eyes, dimming their brightness.  
  
"I bet if it had been Kikyou that had suggested Inu Yasha go back with me, he would have done it. Why did it have to turn out like this?" she thought, an image of Inu Yasha and Kikyou holding onto each other rising up out of the depths of her memory. "It's been a month since then, and yet . . . I can't shake the pain of that image and the words that accompanied it from my mind."  
  
She bit the inside of her lip as Inu Yasha's words to Kikyou rang once again in her mind. _ "But . . . . if you're attacked again just like now . . . . who will protect you?! I'm the only one who can, aren't I?! I can't take it any longer! I couldn't stand it even if . . . that measly Naraku sees you, or hears your voice. To say nothing of how I'd feel if I lost you again!"_  
  
Kagome stifled a sob. Even though they had talked about what had happened and Kagome claimed that all she wanted was to be near Inu Yasha, she still felt as if a part of her heart were constantly being torn open to bleed all over again. Every time Inu Yasha looked off in the distance, she knew he was imagining Kikyou in his mind, and there were times when she caught him looking at her with that same far off expression on his face, as if he were remembering days long gone by. And, as much as she didn't want to admit it, she knew those days were most likely the ones that took place before Naraku was born.  
  
"Oh stop it, Kagome!" she scolded herself as she dashed the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. "You made your bed and now it's time to lay in it."  
  
With that back bracing thought, Kagome once again began to make her way towards the village, but a slight sound behind her caused her to pause and look back, wondering if Inu Yasha were already coming after her. Instead of the pissy dog demon, though, she was greeted with a sight that caused her to smile despite her unhappy thoughts. Shippou was walking towards her, a look of utter concentration on his face as he balanced Kagome's oversized camping bag over his head. Kagome was taken aback for a second at the thought of such a young child carrying her monstrous bag, but then she reminded herself that, even though Shippou was a child, he was still a youkai.  
  
"What are you doing, Shippou-chan?" Kagome asked, moving the last few feet to Shippou and taking her bag from him.  
  
"I thought you might want this, and I was getting tired of watching Miroku pound on Inu Yasha with his staff," Shippou replied, hopping up to Kagome's unoccupied shoulder.  
  
"Miroku-sama's doing what?" Kagome asked as she began to walk again, suppressing an evil grin of glee at the mental picture Shippou's next words brought to mind.  
  
"Oh, Miroku was pounding Inu Yasha in the head with his staff while yelling at him that you were just worried about him and that Inu Yasha needed to learn more manners where women were concerned."  
  
Kagome snickered slightly, then noticed the fact that the wind had started to pick up. She glanced up at the sky, only now noticing the dark, steel gray clouds that were beginning to race across the clear cerulean blue as if they were trying to see which one was the faster. Shippou had also noticed the increasing darkness, and worriedly suggested that they hurry and return to the village before the storm broke. Kagome sighed, certain that they wouldn't make it in time. If only she had her bike, but because they hadn't been that far from the village when she had sensed, and Inu Yasha collected, another Shikon Shard, Kagome had elected to leave it behind for once. With a resigned sigh, she quickened her pace and hoped that the forest would soon open up to the irrigation river that ran alongside Kaede's village. If this storm generated a lot of lightning, Kagome knew being under trees was the last place she and Shippou wanted to be.  
  
*******  
  
  
"Hurry up, girl, we need to return to Sesshoumaru-sama before this storm breaks!" Jaken scolded a little girl of about six as she skipped along the high bank of the river that ran along side a small village just outside of a large forest. Jaken knew that the fastest way to get Rin to move was mentioning Sesshoumaru, and he wasn't about to tell her that the main reason he wanted to be away from this particular forest was because he could smell Sesshoumaru's infernal little brother, Inu Yasha, upon the air. The scent was faint but it was unmistakable, and Jaken knew that it wouldn't go well if he were discovered by the hanyou.  
  
"Jaken-sama," Rin called, skipping faster to catch up with the retainer, "Should Rin have brought some of the melons back for Sesshoumaru-sama?"  
  
"Fool," Jaken sneered at the oblivious little girl, "Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't concern himself with human food."  
  
"Oh yeah, he didn't like it when Rin first found him," Rin mused aloud. For a moment she looked downcast, but then her usual sunny disposition reappeared and she brightened. With a six-year-old's philosophical shrug, Rin dismissed the thought from her mind. With a smile, she skipped ahead of Jaken along the raised area of the river bank, knowing that Jaken was right. They DID need to get to Sesshoumaru before the storm broke.  
  
_Kushinadaaaa....…_  
  
Rin paused mid-step, frowning slightly as the dark whisper seemed to pass through her very soul. She glanced back at Jaken, her brow furrowed. No, the toad demon couldn't have been the cause of the icy dread that ran down her spine. In her childish innocence, Rin knew that, despite all his muttered threats and the way he sometimes treated her, deep down Jaken didn't wish any harm to come to her. He never came out and said so, but she could tell by the way he watched out for her welfare, even when Sesshoumaru was with them, that the old retainer had come to care for her.  
  
"What are you waiting for, girl?" Jaken demanded, and Rin grinned at him.  
  
"Nothing," she said cheerfully, and began to skip ahead again. A few steps in front of her, the ground suddenly shifted as a large root lifted itself out of the dirt and formed a small hump directly in the path of the little girl's foot. A loud clap of thunder ripped through the sky just as Rin tripped over the upraised root, and the startled motion she made in response to the noise sent her already off balanced body tumbling sidewise down the steep embankment, where she landed with a splash in the river. Jaken blinked. One moment Rin had been in front of him, the next she was sitting in the water wailing about how Sesshoumaru-sama was going to be upset that she had ruined her kimono. Jaken stood at the top of the rise, staring down at her balefully.  
  
"You're not usually this clumsy," he sneered, his worry over the child's welfare eased by her rather loud protesting.  
  
"Rin's NOT clumsy! The ground tripped Rin on PURPOSE!" she yelled, gaining her feet and glaring up at the toad demon.  
  
"The ground does not trip you on purpose," Jaken sneered. "You trip on the ground."  
  
"But it DID!" the little girl insisted, stamping her foot wetly for emphasis.  
  
Jaken was about to reply when his ears caught a strange sound from up river. He glanced up at the sky which was rapidly turning an angry blue black, and watched as the clouds streaked by . . . heading down river. Which meant that it had been raining, and by the looks of things very heavily, further up river. This led to one very important realization. Rin was in danger.  
  
"Rin, get out of the water!" Jaken called, making his way hastily down the bank towards the startled little girl. Rin stared at him, and scrambled to obey, knowing that Jaken only used her name when there was danger nearby. The hunk of earth she had grabbed a hold of in an effort to clamber onto the river bank gave way beneath her, and she fell back into the water.  
  
"RIN!" Jaken yelled, staring up river from where she lay slightly stunned in the shallows near the bank. Rin lifted her head, vaguely aware of the sound of rushing water coming closer. She turned to look in the direction that Jaken was staring, and blanched when she saw the small wall of water that was racing towards. She tried to scramble madly onto the bank, but the water suddenly surged and rose beneath her, swamping her attempts to grab something to save herself, and quickly overwhelmed her. Jaken watched in helpless horror as Rin's dark head vanished beneath the surface of the river as the flash flood waters continued their rampage along the bank, sweeping the frightened little girl with them. Jaken found himself having to scramble back from the crumbling bank as the rushing water seemed to rear up out of its banks and reach for him, coming close to dragging him down into those murky depths alongside Rin.   
  
  
Regaining his footing, Jaken desperately ran along the bank in an effort to keep up with Rin, but the toad demon quickly tired and had to stop, bending over double and wheezing in an effort to regain his breath. In the process, he lost sight of the small, dark head that the water had claimed. How was he going to tell Sesshoumaru-sama that Rin . . . that Rin . . . .  
  
A shadow suddenly fell over Jaken, and his entire body froze as a familiar aura assaulted his senses. His eyes bulging more than usual with fear, Jaken slowly turned around and faced his lord. Sesshoumaru stood staring down at him, looking as if he had been conjured up from the depths of the retainers fears. He didn't say anything, he never needed to.  
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken wailed, throwing himself at the youkai lord's feet. "Rin, she! The water . . . " At a loss for words, he gestured downstream. Sesshoumaru turned and gazed downstream. He had been aware of the heavy rainfall further upstream, the sudden influx of water into the creeks and streams that fed the larger river creating a dangerous situation for anyone that got too close. He had known that Rin and Jaken would be heading along this particular bank, and though he'd never admit it, even to himself, he had set out to meet up with them to keep them out of danger. Now Rin had been swept away, and he had been powerless to prevent it. With a growl so soft you would have needed special equipment to hear it, Sesshoumaru walked past Jaken and headed downstream. Jaken scurried after him, not noticing, or for once being too smart to comment on, the fact that his master was moving much faster than his usual casual stroll.  
  
**********  
  
  
Kagome sneezed, then sniffled, thankful that she and Shippou had finally cleared the cover of the trees. Above, the clouds continued to roll and boil together, now fighting for domination amidst the sounds of thunder as opposed to simply racing the sun. Thankfully, she'd yet to see any lightning accompany the thunder, which eased her mind because now that she and Shippou were out in the open, they were the largest targets for a potential lightning strike.  
  
She sneezed again, and had another reason to be thankful they were out in the open. It meant that Kaede's village wasn't too far now, and Kagome had started to feel a little feverish further back in the forest. She hoped it was just a cold and nothing serious, like the flu, because that could knock her out of commission for at least two days. Maybe more, depending on the severity of the illness, and she just did not want to deal with Inu Yasha's complaints anymore than what she already dealt with on a daily basis. She could just hear him, _"Sick? What do you mean, sick, bitch?! Stop acting, we have to gather the shards before Naraku does! So get off your ass and come on!"_ Kagome rolled her eyes. Inu Yasha certainly did have a way with words, even in her imagination.   
  
"Kagome, are you all right?" Shippou asked, bouncing up onto her shoulder.  
  
"I'm all right, Shippou-chan. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Well, you've been sneezing a lot and your face has gotten a little red," Shippou said, then reached out to gently touch one of her cheeks. "You're hot, Kagome!"  
  
Kagome grimaced and figured that her fever was higher than she thought if her cheeks were hot enough that Shippou was able to pick up on it without doing the standard one hand on the forehead of the sick person, and one hand on their own forehead in order to gauge the difference between their temperatures.  
  
"I guess I'm coming down with a cold, Shippou-chan," Kagome admitted.  
  
"Then we should hurry up and get you back to the village! Kaede-sama can make up a potion for you."  
  
Kagome smiled and picked up her pace a bit, the going much easier now that they had reached the higher bank of the river and were no longer sinking into the softer loam of the forest floor. They were only about two miles from Kaede's village now, the bridge linking one side of the river bank to the other hidden by a bend in the river. If she really strained her eyes, she could catch a glimpse of rooftops between some of the trees that lined the opposite bank.   
  
Shippou suddenly looked over in the river's direction, his eyes narrowed in concentration.  
  
"What is it, Shippou-chan?" Kagome asked.  
  
"It sounds like the river just got faster," Shippou said, sounding confused.  
  
"Doesn't surprise me," Kagome said. "From the direction the clouds are going, I think it's been raining pretty heavily upstream and created a flash flood."  
  
And if that was the case, Kagome was very glad that she and Shippou were higher up on the ground. She didn't want to think about what could happen if either one of them had gotten caught in the rapidly rising water. Flash floods were deadly, sometimes even catching people in their cars and sweeping them off, only to be found days later in strange places.   
  
"Hey, there's someone in the water!" Shippou exclaimed, and Kagome turned in time to see a dark head go under amidst flailing arms and brown churning water. Kagome reacted instantly. She dropped the large bag on the ground and raced towards the bank, pausing only long enough to remove her shoes and socks before she plunged head long into the angry water. She surfaced and looked down stream, where she saw the dark head pop up again and a small, frightened face gulp in air before going under once more. She struck out with strong, sure strokes, going a little to the side of the current. She quickly reached the girl as she bobbed to the surface again, and hooked an arm around her chest, hauling her up against her as she began to swim towards shore. Now she was working against a current that was much more violent than the other time she had plunged into the river to save a child, and she went under herself several times, inhaling and choking on the muddy water. Each time she went under she fought her way back to the surface, knowing that she had to get to the bank or she and the child would die. With that thought, Kagome doubled her efforts, and within a few minutes, though in truth it felt like a few years, she reached the bank and hauled herself and the child out of the water's greedy grasp.  
  
Kagome laid the child on her back, noticing that the little girl's skin tone was the color of chalk, and fought off the urge to panic. She quickly checked for a pulse, found one, and then checked for breathing by leaning her face close the little girl's mouth and nose. No reassuring stream of moist air hit her face, and Kagome fought off a quick hot spurt of pure panic.  
  
"Calm DOWN Kagome!" she ordered herself. "You know what to do!"  
  
With that bracing thought, Kagome tilted the little girl's head back, pinched the tiny nose, and began to administer artificial resuscitation. _Come on_, she silently urged in-between breathes, _Breath! You have to breath! Come on!_ After a few moments, she was rewarded with a sudden surge of liquid as the little girl began to cough violently. Kagome rolled her to her side, and rubbed her back as the girl expelled the water that had been clogging her lungs and then vomited before dragged in a deep, soggy breath. She simply breathed for a few moments, then slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Kagome, dazed.  
  
"Are you all right?" Kagome asked, watching as the girl's eyes slowly came into focus.  
  
The child nodded, blinking a few times to clear her vision. Kagome smiled in relief, and looked upstream, spotting a familiar large bag making it's way towards her as fast as tiny kitsune feet could carry it. She got to her feet in order to call out to Shippou, and lurched a bit as the world began to spin. As a dark mist began to encroach upon her vision, the last thought Kagome had before collapsing was that she shouldn't have stood up so fast after practically hyperventilating in an effort to get the little girl to breath.  
  
Rin was frightened. She remembered the ground tripping her into the water and being swept away, then it all became a blur of thrashing water and fighting to breath. She had seen the older girl dive into the water and swim towards her, but she couldn't remember anything past the girl's arm enveloping her. All she knew was that her lungs hurt, she was wet, scared, and the young woman that had saved her was now crumpled in a heap upon the ground, her eyes shut. Rin carefully got to her hands and knees and crawled towards the older girl, not really trusting her legs to be able to hold her up if she tried to stand. When she reached her side, she touched the girl's arm, shaking it slightly in an effort to wake her up. There was no response, and Rin was starting to panic when she heard someone come up behind her.  
  
"Kagome!" Shippou cried, dropping the bag and scrambling past Rin to check on Kagome, then sighing with relief when he found her still breathing. He didn't like the fact that he couldn't wake her up, but figured that it would be best to allow her to wake up on her own since she wasn't responding to his tapping her on the face. So he turned his attention to the little girl that had sat back and watched him, her brown eyes curious and a little wary.  
  
"Is that her name?" Rin asked, pointing at Kagome.   
  
"Yeah, her name's Kagome," Shippou said, and added, "And I'm Shippou."  
  
"Rin," the child said, her fascinated eyes staring at Shippou's tail. "How come you have a tail?"  
  
"I'm a kitsune," the fox child said proudly. "All kitsune have tails." He then glanced worriedly up at the sky, noticing that the clouds were even blacker and closer than they had been before. "We gotta wake Kagome up and get to the village before the storm breaks."  
  
"No no no!" Rin exclaimed, "Rin can't go to the village, Rin has to wait here!"  
  
"For your parents?" Shippou asked. "We can ask someone at the village to find them."  
  
"No, Rin has to wait for Sesshoumaru-sama!"  
  
If Shippou had been eating something, he would have choked at that statement. As it was he made a half gurgled strangling sound, and stared at Rin as if she had grown two heads. Sesshoumaru? Inu Yasha's cold hearted older brother, the youkai lord that claimed to hate all humanity?! As Kagome had once asked Inu Yasha, what crack had the little girl smoked? Not that he knew what crack was, and when he had asked Kagome to explain the saying, she had simply said that it was one way they asked another person if they were crazy where she came from.  
  
Before Shippou could do more than gape in amazement, a shadow that had nothing to do with the storm clouds fell over him, and a chill ran down his spine. He didn't have to look to know who stood behind him. Rin gave a cry of joy, scrambled to her feet, lurched and fell to her knees, before gaining her footing and running over to Sesshoumaru. The tall youkai stared down at her impassively, ignoring the sharp sense of relief he felt at finding her unharmed. Wet and soggy maybe, but unharmed non the less. He was not pleased, however, to find her in the company of his little brother's wench and that kitsune brat. From the looks of things, his brother's wench had either gotten caught in some rain, or taken a plunge in the river herself. Whatever the reason, she was as wet as Rin and had passed out for some reason or other that had no bearing on him, so he didn't think about it.  
  
With a nod at Rin, he turned his back on the wench and the cub, and began to walk away. He didn't expect the lack of soft footfalls signaling that Rin wasn't following him, and with a barely noticeable frown of annoyance, he turned once again to the little girl.  
  
"Rin," he said softly, the word ringing with a steel edged command.  
  
"No!" the little girl cried, surprising the youkai. "We can't leave Kagome-neesan like this!"  
  
Sesshoumaru's annoyance flared into slight anger when the little girl returned to the wench's side and once again tried to shake her awake. "Kagome-neesan saved Rin!" the little girl explained, "And now she won't wake up! Something could be wrong!"  
  
Sesshoumaru moved forward and frowned down at the young woman crumpled at his feet. He noted the flushed cheeks and slightly labored breathing, and he picked up on a slight watery sound from her lungs as she drew in air and released it. Not his problem, he thought, and turned once again to leave. He didn't expect the sudden, very loud protestation that arose from his young ward. "NO! RIN WON'T LEAVE KAGOME-NEESAN!"  
  
"Rin-chan!" Shippou cried, shocked out of his fear by Rin's yell. Worry for his new friend had him cautioning, "Don't make him angry, he'll kill you!"  
  
Sesshoumaru's lips twisted in annoyance. Surely the upstart cub didn't think he would hurt Rin. But then, he hadn't given the cub, or anyone else, for that matter, any reason to think otherwise. Which was the way he preferred it, though he didn't want Rin to suddenly become afraid of him because of the kitsune's words.  
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama won't hurt Rin," the little girl said with conviction, then latched onto one of Kagome's arms and once again began to protest leaving her behind. Sesshoumaru fought the urge to press the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, an urge which got stronger when Jaken finally caught up with him. Upon spotting Rin, Inu Yasha's wench, and the kitsune cub, he began to babble about storms, floods, witches and brats. It didn't help that the cub was still trying to convince Rin that it wasn't a good idea to yell at Sesshoumaru, because that was the fastest way to get your throat slashed.  
  
A headache began to throb dully in his left temple, and Sesshoumaru had quickly reached his limit. "Enough," he said, a little louder than his usual tone, but not quite a shout. The effect was still instantaneous, as all three of the conscious shut their mouths and stared up at him. With a sigh, something that he rarely did but that he felt would soon become a habit to him, Sesshoumaru walked towards the unconscious girl. The kitsune growled and made a move as if to protect the young woman from an attack, but Sesshoumaru looked at the cub, letting the child know that he wasn't going to hurt the older girl, but that if he had intended to hurt her, no mere kitsune brat would have stopped him.  
  
Shippou backed off, but he had no intention of being left behind. He watched warily as the youkai lord bent down and carefully maneuvered Kagome into a sitting position against him, worry squirming through his brain as Kagome's head lolled bonelessly onto Sesshoumaru's shoulder, her cheek nestling into the soft fur of his shoulder ornament. Sesshoumaru wrapped his arm around her torso, and used some of his youki to manipulate the dangling part of his shoulder ornament around his waist and up under Kagome's legs. He then rose, cradling Kagome to his chest, the furry decoration acting as the arm he had lost in the battle with Inu Yasha. Kagome's cheek continued to rest on his shoulder, while her legs dangled over the youki enhanced fur, which Sesshoumaru carefully wrapped around her knees in order to keep her from slipping while they traveled. Shippou noticed that the tall youkai was being careful to keep Kagome away from the spikes on his armor, and that observation caused him quite a bit of confusion. Sesshoumaru and gentle just didn't seem to go hand in hand with each other, and yet he was caring for the little girl that was now tugging on Shippou's hand. Jaken was protesting taking Kagome with them, but Sesshoumaru silenced him with a look very similar to the one he had given Shippou.  
  
Rin pulled Shippou with her as she walked up to Sesshoumaru, pausing long enough for Shippou to grab Kagome's bag once again. "She can't leave her bag behind," he explained when Sesshoumaru glanced his way. The youkai lord said nothing, which Shippou took as a sign that meant he was not going to be killed and would be allowed to go with the strange group. He blinked when a soft puffy cloud of youki formed around them all, and they began to rise into the air. Rin giggled and began chattering to him, and deciding that Kagome was in good, albeit unpredictable, hands, Shippou set the bag down and gave his attention to Rin.  
  
Jaken sulked. He had a feeling that taking Inu Yasha's bitch with them was going to bring trouble of some sort. If anything, Inu Yasha was bound to come after them when he discovered the wench missing. Jaken's relatively quiet life had been disrupted once by the arrival of Rin, now it looked like it was going to become utter chaos before things settled down again. He was NOT looking forward to the coming days, and wondered just what his master had been thinking.  
  
Sesshoumaru was currently deep in his own thoughts, most of which were centered on the little girl talking with the kitsune brat, and the young woman that was nestled up against his chest. He couldn't fathom why he had agreed to take the older girl with them. It was bound to be nothing but trouble, yet he couldn't get out of his mind's eye the picture of Rin clutching the girl's arm and yelling about how she had saved her life. Sesshoumaru grudgingly admitted it wouldn't hurt to take the girl with them until she got over whatever ailment kept her silent and still, especially since he had no doubts about the truth of Rin's statement. He had seen the condition both of them had been in, and since it hadn't been raining the only explanation for the soggy state of the young woman's clothing had been a dive into the river. And with the girl came the kitsune cub, but that might not be a bad thing if it kept Rin occupied and out of his way, and from the way the two kids were talking and giggling together, it looked like they were on their way to becoming good friends.   
  
Sesshoumaru easily suppressed a grimace when he felt a slight dampness on his kimono from the dripping girl. If it hadn't been for the fact that Rin had to ride with them on the cloud since they had left the two headed horse dragon behind, he would have gone with his first instinct and left Inu Yasha's wench on the ground and he wouldn't have had to touch her at all. To be honest he was rather surprised that he had taken such care in lifting the young woman and supporting her. That was unlike him, and he pondered the reasoning behind his actions until he came to a conclusion he wasn't happy with. _It has to be Rin's fault,_ he thought to himself, and felt a spurt of alarm, which was, as always, concealed. He decided right then and there that this change in behavior due to the little girl had to stop. Preferably right this minute, with him dropping the young woman in his arms onto the youki cloud they rode on.  
  
There was a slight tug on his kimono, and Sesshoumaru glanced down to find the object of his frustration gazing up at the soggy bundle in his arms with concern written all over her face. Behind her stood the kitsune cub, the determination on his features telling Sesshoumaru that even though the kit knew he was no match for the mighty inu-youkai lord, he would still try to defend Inu Yasha's bitch if Sesshoumaru made a single threatening move. He grit his teeth in frustration. He dismissed the cub from his mind as he posed no threat to he, Sesshoumaru, but Rin . . . A slight frown marred his brow when he realized that he couldn't bring himself to do as his mind was telling him while Rin was present. It wasn't that the thought of the little girl watching as he dropped the soggy mass from his arms to his feet bothered him; rather it was the fact that Rin's protesting such an act would be very uncomfortable for his ears, which would directly result in a larger headache by the time they reached their destination. No, for his literal peace of mind he would be better off getting a little damp around the edges instead of being on the receiving end of one of Rin's ear splitting yells.  
  
Another tug on his hakama, and once again he glanced down at his young ward. When she saw that she had his attention, Rin began to ask questions about the young woman in his arms, and not feeling up to ignoring her Sesshoumaru answered her with short terse replies, Jaken's dark mutterings echoing his own thoughts. This had not been a good idea.  
  
_To Be Continued . . .   
  
_Glossary:  
  
Baka: Idiot, jerk, imbacile, ect. ^_^  
Youkai: Demon  
Youki: Demonic energy. For example, Sesshoumaru's whip from the IY anime is created from youki.  
These are just rough translations, they're by no means perfect or exact.  
  



	3. A Future Sacrifice

  
Chapter Two:  
A Future Sacrifice  
  
******Modern Day Tokyo******  
  
Momiji Fujimiya felt the air leave her lungs as she crashed to her knees, both hands clutching the Mitama that was buried in her chest. Pain engulfed her body, feeling as if her very blood had suddenly become molten lava as it coursed through her veins, unerringly making its way towards her heart. She desperately tried to drag air into her lungs as a high pitched ringing, accompanied by a bright light, pulsed around her, completely in tune with her heartbeat. She could dimly hear the worried cries of her coworkers and friends, but all her concentration was taken up by the strange sensation that something was trying to burn her very existence away.  
  
Seconds ticked by, and finally, finally the pain began to ease off, and she sucked air into her starved lungs with a sound similar to a drowning fish. Cautiously she opened her emerald green eyes, realizing at that moment that she had squeezed them shut. She blinked, and managed to bring Matsudaira's worried countenance, and Koume's frightened one (which was odd, Koume was _never_ frightened) into focus.  
  
"Momiji-chan, are you all right?" the biologist of the TAC asked worriedly.  
  
Momiji took a deep breath and was relieved to find that the debilitating pain didn't return. She let her breath out on a sigh, and said, "I'm all right."  
  
"Momiji-chan, are you absolutely certain that you're all right?" Matsu asked again, staring at Momiji as if she were trying to coax a confession out of her.  
  
"I'm fine now, really," Momiji answered, wiping some sweat off of her forehead. "It just caught me by surprise."  
  
"It wasn't Aragami, was it," Matsu asked, making it sound more like a statement than a question.  
  
"How did you know?" Momiji asked, feeling as if her brain were some how disconnected from her body.  
  
"Momiji, you became transparent!" Koume burst out, her shock wearing off as her brain finally caught up with her mouth.  
  
"I'm not surprised, I haven't felt pain like that before, ever," Momiji answered.  
  
"No, no, you didn't go pale," Koume said, raking her hand through her hair impatiently. "I mean you went transparent, like a ghost. I could see right through you!"  
  
Startled, Momiji swung her bottle green gaze to Matsu's contemplative countenance, and got a nod in response.   
  
"One minute you were there, and then when you collapsed to your knees all we could see was a faint outline of you, until you solidified again. I feel like I've seen something like it somewhere . . ," Matsu trailed off, deep in thought.  
  
"It was like that old American movie, the one with that guy . . . Michael J. Fox. You know, the one where he goes back in time and meets his parents when they were teenagers and nearly vanishes because he kept inadvertently interfering with the past," Koume said.  
  
"_Back to the Future_?" Momiji asked, remembering the title of a trilogy her friends back home in Izumo had enjoyed.  
  
"Yeah, that's it!" Koume cried triumphantly. "Remember how near the ending, before his parents kissed he started to fade out? You were just like that, only instead of it just being your hand it was your entire body."  
  
"Oh yes, that's what I was thinking about," Matsu agreed, then frowned. "Momiji-chan, I'm afraid I'm gong to have to keep you a little longer. I want to run some more tests on you to make sure your Mitama and the Kushinada Pulse are still stable. I don't like what happened at all."  
  
That sentiment was echoed thirty minutes later by Takeuchi when she came up to find out what was keeping Momiji so long. Kunikida had left earlier to attend a meeting with the Prime Minister, and it was up to Takeuchi to insure that Momiji arrived home safely. When she heard what had happened to Momiji earlier, she began her own barrage of questions, which led to Momiji reluctantly admitting that it had felt like someone was trying to strip her of everything from the inside out during her "fading out" incident. Finally, after yet *another* round of questions, being poked and prodded, hooked up to machines and having the data compared again and again, along with constant reassurances that she was just fine save the headache that was building up behind her eyes, Momiji was allowed to leave with Takeuchi. By that time Yaegashi had been called in, and he promised he'd analyze the video data from the security cameras, as well as checking over the computer equipment to make sure it was still in top working order.  
  
Momiji was feeling a little overwhelmed by all the fuss, but she was used to it. Whether it was a low grade in math, her worst subject in school, or a sudden increase in the activity of the Kushinada pulse, everyone would become involved in the analysis and attempt to find a solution. Both Yaegashi and Matsudaira had offered to tutor Momiji in math, while Koume had informed her that math "was like blowing up a building. Once you secured the foundation correctly, the rest of it just fell into place." Momiji wasn't sure how much she liked that comparison, but it did make some sense.   
  
Being the Kushinada had its ups and downs, though here lately it seemed to contain more downs than anything. Momiji would be lying if she said she never regretted her choice to accept her fate as the Kushinada, and she often found herself wishing for a normal life once again at home in Izumo during the darkest hours of the night, when her inner demons in the form of her twin sister would come out to taunt her. Whenever that happened, Momiji would find herself trying to look on the other, brighter, side, and reminding herself that if it hadn't been for the fact that she was the Kushinada, she never would have met the wonderful people of the TAC or Kusanagi.  
  
Kusanagi . . . Now there was a thought that could cause her mood to plummet faster than a skydiver whose chute refuses to open. She had managed with the help of her friends at the TAC to pull herself out of the depression that had nearly strangled her when Kaede had revealed herself to not only still be alive, but to be working for the Aragami as well. In denial over what his own eyes were showing him, and what Kaede and that jerk Murakumo were telling him, Kusanagi had taken it upon himself to try and find out Kaede and Susano-oh's true objective, and had begun chasing after the shadow of the older Kushinada twin.  
  
Momiji's hands clenched in her lap as she fought off a wave of despair . Once again she reaffirmed in her mind her vow to become stronger in regards to fighting the Aragami, and to try harder to find a way to harness the power of the Kushinada. She was so lost in her thoughts that it took her a few moments to realize that Takeuchi was calling her name.  
  
"Hmm?" Momiji asked, bringing herself back to the present.  
  
"We're here," Takeuchi said, and Momiji glanced out the window and flushed in embarrassment when she realized they were idling outside of Kunikida's house. She hadn't even realized that the car had stopped.  
  
"Thank you, Takeuchi-san," Momiji said as she reached over to unlatch the door. A hand on her arm stopped her, and she turned to meet Takeuchi's concerned gaze.  
  
"Momiji-chan," Takeuchi began, and then stopped as an unwanted thought entered her head. _What could I possibly say to her about Kusanagi-san when I can't even get my own love life in order?_  
  
"What is it, Takeuchi-san?" Momiji asked, wondering at the slightly pained expression that had flitted over Takeuchi's features.  
  
"Everything will be all right," Takeuchi finished lamely, backing out at the last second. She was about to get out and walk Momiji to the front door, but a slight movement in the trees caught her attention. She turned and spotted Kusanagi lounging in one of the trees, and she relaxed. He would keep an eye on Momiji until she went into the house.  
  
Momiji nodded and smiled at the older woman cheerfully, before turning and getting out of the car. She waved as Takeuchi drove out of site, before turning to gaze at the house she had been living in for the past few months. Had she really been there that long? To Momiji, it felt like she had been living with Kunikida all her life, even though in reality she'd barely been there a year. It was amazing to think how much had changed in such a short amount of time. Not only had she found out that she had an older twin sister who was supposedly dead, but now that "supposedly dead" twin sister was helping the Aragami. If those two revelations hadn't been enough, Momiji had had the misfortune (in her mind at least) of falling in love with the man whose original job had been to watch over and protect the "supposedly dead but now helping the enemy" twin sister. It had been an even harder blow when it became painfully apparent that Kusanagi had been in love with Kaede, and had nearly run to his death when she revealed herself to still be alive. Momiji could still hear Kusanagi's anguished cries for Kaede to not leave while the cavern they had been standing in crumbled around them. She remembered grabbing him around the waist and pleading with him to stop, that they needed to get out of the chamber and back into the tunnel where it was safer. Even now she was amazed that she had managed to drag him backwards to the relative safety of the tunnel, especially since he had been straining against her grip around his waist every step of the way.  
  
Momiji felt a sharp pain in her chest, and instinctly she reached up and rubbed her hand over the slight bump that her Mitama created. Unlike the previous searing pain, this one had been short lived, but it still caused her brow to crease in thought. It hadn't felt like an Aragami, but here lately the growth of Susano-oh had caused her Mitama to give off strange signals, some of which she couldn't even begin to understand.  
  
_"Did Susano-oh somehow cause that pain that happened back at the office?"_ Momiji's frown deepened as she went over the entire thing from start to finish, trying to search out some small sign that the god of the Aragami had had a hand in her near disappearing act.  
  
"Keep that up, and your face will freeze," a teasing voice said from the vicinity of her right ear. Momiji shrieked and leapt sidewise before whirling around to confront the source of the voice. Kusanagi stood with his arms folded across his chest, one set of eyebrows raised over teasing eyes. A smirk lurked at the corner of his mouth, giving hint to the dimple that indented his skin when he smiled.  
  
"Kusanagi-san, don't DO that!" Momiji admonished, trying to catch her breath.  
  
"Awwww, did I scare you, Princess?" Kusanagi asked, looking quite pleased with himself over that prospect.  
  
"Why is it every time I see you you're always such a jerk?" Momiji exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air and spinning on her heel, fully intent on stalking into the house. She really wasn't in the mood for Kusanagi's teasing, despite the fact that her heart had given that tiny leap that had nothing to do with fright.  
  
"Hang on, Momiji, what happened today?" Kusanagi asked, reaching forward to take Momiji's elbow.  
  
"Nothing that should concern you," Momiji replied hotly, her temper getting the better of her. "Besides, how do you know anything happened today?"  
  
"What are you so angry about?" Kusanagi asked. "I stopped by the office to see if they had any idea why the pain I've been feeling every time Susano-oh grows has stopped. You know that the only way to find Susano-oh and Kaede is for me to track them through those particular 'growing pains'. When I got there everyone was in an uproar over something that had happened concerning you, but I couldn't get a straight answer out of anyone that didn't involve an old movie and a bunch scientific jargon."  
  
Momiji felt her hopes rise at the sound of concern in Kusanagi's voice, but they were dashed upon the cold rocks of reality when Kusanagi asked, "Do you think it had anything to do with Susano-oh? Or Kaede?"   
  
"No, Kusanagi-san," Momiji said dully, looking at him then turning away once again to walk towards the house. "It had nothing to do with Kaede-san."  
  
Kusanagi stared after Momiji long after she had shut the front door behind her. The look she had given him had been so brief that he might have imagined it, but for an instance she had appeared to have been consumed with a very unMomiji like bitterness. He scratched the back of his head, bewildered by her response to his question. She knew how important it was to find out Kaede and Susano-oh'S true objective, and yet she acted like she didn't even want to discuss them.  
  
Kusanagi shook his head and then bounded off once again towards the TAC office. He would never, ever understand females. First there had been Kaede's declaration that she had joined the Aragami because she wanted to be protected, which was ridiculous because Kusanagi himself had been protecting her all of her life, and now the bitterness he had seen in the young woman who had cheerfully declared that if it were her fate to die for Japan, then she wanted it to be her chosen fate.  
  
With a snort of disgust, Kusanagi decided it would be best for him to find out what had happened this afternoon, and alert the TAC about the sudden cessation of the intense heat and pain that Susano-oh's visits to the _iwattos _caused. He wondered if both incidents were linked somehow, and was willing to bet one of his many red jackets that they were. Then there was the troubling fact that he hadn't seen hide nor hair of Murakumo over the past few days. Even when protecting Kaede and the child Susano-oh, Murakumo would occasionally make an appearance in order to check up on the Aragami that had already awoken in or near the city area.   
  
Kusanagi may not have had Momiji's innate psychic ability, but even he could tell that something was going to happen, and happen soon. Tokyo had been too quiet lately, with no Aragami attacks to speak of, and nothing regarding Susano-oh and Kaede coming to light. The inactivity made Kusanagi edgy. It unnerved him to feel that danger was nearby, and his apprehension increased when the danger remained unidentifiable. What made it worse was that he KNEW Momiji was going to be at the center of whatever it was that was going to erupt. Of course, Momiji and trouble went hand in hand, especially with the Aragami trying to kill her all the time.   
  
Kusanagi scowled as he leapt across several buildings, coming to a halt in front of the rather diminutive building that housed the TAC. Damnit, he was going to get his answers, and this was the only place that could help him find them. He just hoped he got a straight answer this time instead of a bunch of scientific lingo interspersed with comments about old American Science Fiction movies. Who knew that Matsudaira was a closet Sci-Fi fan?  
  
******Sengoku Jidai******  
  
Shippou didn't know what to do. He was deeply worried about Kagome, she had yet to wake up and even his little kitsune ears were now able to pick up on the watery sounds her lungs made as she breathed; and surely it wasn't a good idea to keep her in those wet clothes. She was sick already, she didn't need to be in clothing that had been soaked in river water and most likely colder than the air around them. Yet Shippou wasn't about to bring up such concerns to Sesshoumaru. The tall youkai's face was impassive, giving no indication of his thoughts or emotions. He even seemed completely oblivious to the fact that his kimono had been completely soaked by Kagome's uniform.  
  
Sesshoumaru was quite aware of the fact that his kimono was now very wet. The material was starting to cling to his skin in a rather uncomfortable way. Still, it would now be pointless to drop the girl since his kimono was already ruined, and Rin was now gazing up at the soggy bundle in his arms along with that kitsune brat, worry evident in both their eyes. Truth be told, he thought it was rather odd that the wench had yet to wake up, and the liquid sounds in her lungs were getting progressively worse. He had also detected a steady rise in her body heat, which, for humans, wasn't a good thing. Thankfully, he could see the area where he was going to land, and then it would only be a short walk before he could dump this bothersome girl and change out of his wet kimono.  
  
Shippou kept his eyes on Kagome, silently willing for her to wake up. The longer she stayed still and silent, the higher his anxiety got. He knew that Rin was thinking the same thing, because she was pressing against him slightly, her eyes on Kagome's still form. Shippou figured it was probably a blessing that the little girl couldn't hear the disturbing noises that were coming from Kagome's lungs; after all, she certainly didn't need anything else to worry about. For his part, Shippou's mind was in turmoil, trying to sort through all his past experiences with the youkai lord and this new, more gentler side that Sesshoumaru unconsciously displayed by caring for Rin and being so careful with Kagome. He found himself wondering what Inu Yasha would have to say about this new side to his older brother.  
_  
"Probably attack first and think later,"_ he thought to himself.  
  
He glanced around at Rin when the little girl grabbed his arm and pointed to a small clearing in the forest ahead of them. "That's where we're going," she said.  
  
Sure enough, Shippou could feel the change in altitude as Sesshoumaru guided his cloud of youki towards the ground. It wasn't long before the small motley group was standing in the middle of a small clearing. Around them the forest pressed in. Dark storm clouds continued to race across the sky and contributed to the suddenly oppressive feeling of the general area.   
  
Without a word, Sesshoumaru turned and headed towards the edge of the clearing where a small tent was set up. Shippou blinked a few times. Sesshoumaru and a . . .tent? And not just any tent, but an old, rickety looking thing that looked like it had more holes than that Swiss Cheese Kagome had brought from her world once. That made sense about as much as Sesshoumaru and gentle did, especially since the tent the youkai lord was heading towards looked perfectly ordinary. Wouldn't it make more sense for him to have some kind of elaborate tent, or even a house or palace? What about a fortress? So far there had been so many contradictions between Sesshoumaru's current actions and the past ones that Shippou had witnessed first hand, that the kitsune cub could feel a headache coming on from trying to figure it all out.  
  
Sesshoumaru carried Kagome through the opening in the tent, and Shippou quickly followed, hauling the oversized hiking bag with him, gently waving off Rin's offer of help. As he approached the opening of the tent, he noticed Jaken taking Aun, the two headed horse-dragon, off to the right. Shippou figured the youkai beast of burden probably kept watch while his master and traveling companions were resting. With a quick adjustment to the bag, Shippou turned and followed Rin to the tent, walking through the opening that she held for him. He then promptly dropped the large bag, which hit the floor the same time his jaw did.  
  
The inside of the tent was VASTLY different from what the outside suggested. For one thing, there was a lot more room; the entire interior resembled something one might find in a noble's house. Large, spacious rooms with shoji doors distinguished the bedrooms, wide paths of hardwood floors, smooth and clean, supported a low table sitting in the middle of what must have been the dining area. Another, smaller room contained a desk sporting all manners of writing materials and abundant shelving that held various scrolls. Shippou counted no less than four rooms, and he figured there were probably more further on past the dining space.  
  
He didn't wonder about the difference in appearances for long, though, because he saw Sesshoumaru carrying Kagome into one of the rooms off to the right, and he scurried to catch up with Rin, who was following on the youkai lord's heels. He really wished Kagome would wake up, the longer she stayed silent meant he had to fight harder to keep from giving into a full blown panic. He certainly didn't want to alarm Rin, who seemed to have every faith that her Sesshoumaru-sama would be able to cure Kagome.  
  
Sesshoumaru carefully began to kneel in order to deposit his soggy bundle onto the futon, when he saw Rin turn to tell the kitsune cub something out of the corner of his eye. With her distracted, he gave into the impulse that had been plaguing him for the entire trip and abruptly released his hold on his brother's wench, smiling slightly at the soft thud her body made as it dropped onto the softness of the futon. It certainly did wonders for his waning good humor to have been able to drop Kagome like the baggage she was, and he silently thanked anyone who was listening for allowing him the opportunity to do so without the result of the headache Rin's protesting would have brought.  
  
Sesshoumaru straightened and turned as the sound of Jaken's muttering signaled that the small retainer had entered the dwelling. As he walked up to them, the small toad youkai gave both Rin and Shippou a glare, before turning his attention to Sesshoumaru.  
  
"Jaken."  
  
"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?"  
  
"I want you to get the girl out of her wet clothing and into something dry, then cover her with a blanket. A mild broth is to be prepared for her, and I want Yurika to prepare a cold compress," Sesshoumaru ordered.  
  
Jaken's eyes bugged out even further. "But Sesshoumaru-sama!"  
  
"Do it," Sesshoumaru said, his voice softer but no less menacing, and he strode out of the room with barely a glance in Shippou and Rin's direction.  
  
Jaken began to mutter, and didn't stop even as he ordered for drying cloths from a silent servant who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. While he waited for the servant to return, he began to remove the top of Kagome's uniform, making faces as he tugged on the cold, wet cloth. He really couldn't understand this girl's strange clothing. A normal kimono would have been much easier to remove, but the wench just had to wear this awkward kimono, and she was proving to be as difficult unconscious as she was when she was awake. Jaken continued to tug, and he finally got the strange garment slipped up and over the girl's head. He never noticed Kagome's slight stirring, and the slow lifting of dark lashes.  
  
Sesshoumaru slipped silently through his house, neither looking to the left nor the right. Every room was familiar to him, every piece of furniture memorized. This was necessary not only for quick and silent maneuverability in his home, but also useful in the even that this rest house was ever invaded while he and his traveling companions were in residence. A highly unlikely event, but knowing where every table and shelf were located was a tactical maneuver that would give him the advantage over his enemies, and he always liked to have the upper hand.  
  
Within a short amount of time he reached the very back of the house, and smiled slightly at the thought of what was behind the door. Reaching out, he gently slid the door open and watched as several tendrils of steam wafted into the house. The natural hot spring that he had had walled in was one of the many reasons he had chosen this place for the location of his "safe house." The added defense of the dense forest that surrounded his home also provided an easy backdrop for the illusion spell that he had placed on the house and the immediate area. Trees and a small tent amongst a real forest was a much easier illusion to maintain over, say, trees and a small tent in an area that was originally cleared of all vegetation.  
  
Sesshoumaru left off his musing as he stepped through the door, nodding when he saw that his bathing instruments had been set out by his servants. Not that he expected any less, but he knew the value of a good, loyal servant in the house, and even though he hardly spoke to those who worked in his home, he did reward promptness and exactness.   
  
He carefully removed his armor and the fur pelt he wore on his shoulder, setting them aside where they wouldn't get wet, and began to remove his kimono. He had just gotten the upper portion slid over his chest and off his arm when an ear splitting scream rent the air. His first thought was that an enemy, namely Naraku, had somehow broken through his defenses and gotten to Rin. Without taking the time to replace his upper kimono or armor, he sped through the house and was at the doorway that lead into Kagome's room in an instant. He slid the door open in time to see Jaken, face horrified and eyes bulging, flying straight for his face. With barely a change in expression, Sesshoumaru tilted his head slightly to the left, the only hint that Jaken had flown by his head by a mere hair's breadth was the ruffling of his long, silvery white hair.  
  
He barely spared a thought of his retainer as he heard him crash through the wall behind him; the entire focus of his cold golden eyes was on Inu Yasha's wench, who was sitting up on the futon clutching the blanket to her chest. The young woman was obviously confused, her brown eyes were bright and her cheeks blazed red with fever. She looked around her with dazed eyes, blinked a few times, then glanced down at Rin and Shippou, who had remained near her but silent for the past few seconds.   
  
"Kagome?" Shippou asked, his eyes wide.  
  
"Wow, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin exclaimed, bouncing on her toes a bit. "You should have seen Kagome-neechan grab Jaken-sama!"  
  
"Rin," Sesshoumaru said quietly, trying to quell the child's excited, and distracting, chatter.  
  
"It was so funny! Kagome-neechan woke up, screamed, and grabbed Jaken-sama by the neck and threw him at the door!" Rin continued, giving Sesshoumaru the details he wanted, but not quite at the time he wanted them.  
  
"Rin, be still," Sesshoumaru ordered as he replaced his upper kimono, and the little girl stopped bouncing and quieted down; the only sign of her continued excitement was the twisting of her hands.  
  
Kagome desperately tried to clear some of the befuddlement from her mind, the last thing she remembered was pulling the little girl out of the river, but it was almost as if someone had stuffed cotton into her head. Her mouth was dry, and her entire body ached. Her chest especially felt heavy and tight, and every breath she took in gave her a nearly overwhelming urge to cough. She continued to clutch the blanket to her chest, instinct telling her that putting her wet top back on would not be a Good Idea, but she didn't relish the idea of anyone seeing her in her bra, especially Sesshoumaru. Wait a minute, _SESSHOUMARU?!_  
  
Kagome sucked in a quick breath to demand some answers, or scream, she wasn't sure which, but all that came out was a deep, liquid sounding cough that caused the ache in her body to intensify. She bent into the blanket, her small body shuddering with the deep, tearing coughs, before they finally subsided and she was able to draw in a small breath without trying to remove her lungs through her mouth.   
  
"Kagome," she heard Shippou whisper next to her, and she looked towards the kitsune cub, surprise registering over the fact that he and the human girl were in the same vicinity as the Lord of the Western Lands with their heads intact. She spared a glance for the youkai in question, and shivered as she felt the full weight of his golden stare.  
  
"Shippou-chan," she managed to get out with only a small amount of coughing. "What . . . ?"  
  
"You saved Rin!" the little girl piped up.   
  
"It's all right, Kagome," Shippou said, wanting to ease some of the fear that was making itself known in the young woman's eyes. "When I got to you, you had fainted after you had saved Rin from the river. Rin then . . ," here Shippou paused and glanced uneasily at the youkai lord, "Asked Sesshoumaru to bring you with him because we were worried when you didn't wake up. He allowed me to come with him and bring your bag with me."  
  
"It's Sesshoumaru-SAMA!" Rin corrected Shippou.  
  
Sesshoumaru had yet to say anything, and though she didn't have much trouble following Shippou's explanation, that still didn't tell her why she was here, on a futon, in what was obviously Sesshoumaru's house, and she was still alive. That, along with the undeniable fact of the little girl standing next to Shippou, was almost more than enough for her cottony brain to take.  
  
"You have a fever, too," Shippou added, then leaned in and whispered, "And your cough sounds horrible. Are you all right?"  
  
A cough and a fever? Kagome tried to make sense of it, and then something clicked in her sluggish brain. _Oh shit._  
  
"Shippou-chan, you need to take Rin-chan out of here. Now. And keep her out," Kagome suddenly ordered, sparing a nervous look towards the disappointed looking child, who opened her mouth to argue.   
  
"You would insult Rin by banning her from your room? Need I remind you who's house you are currently laying in, human?" he asked, his voice so chilly that Kagome swore she saw icicles form in the air.  
  
"You don't understand," she said urgently before succumbing to a coughing spell. Her anxiety increased when she looked at the blanket and saw a small spot of yellow gunk that she had managed to cough up, confirming her suspicions. She'd had bronchitis before, but the LAST place she wanted to get it was in the Sengoku Jidai. She had Asprin in her backpack, but she knew what she needed was antibiotics. But there was no way she was in any condition to get back to the well, and she was NOT going to ask Sesshoumaru to take her there.   
  
"I'm waiting to understand, human," Sesshoumaru said, glaring at her.  
  
"My name is Kagome," she snapped back, a headache beginning to form and making her irritable, while the coughing caused her body to tire even more. She still had yet to release her grip on the blanket. "And both Rin-chan and Shippou-chan need to stay away from me until the fever has broken. I don't want them to get sick, I'm highly contagious right now and this is not something children need to deal with," she finished, quoting from what she remembered her doctor telling her the first time she'd had bronchitis.  
  
Sesshoumaru continued to gaze at her, almost as if he were trying to see into her very soul to determine the truth of her statement. She fought the urge to both squirm and cough, knowing that if she squirmed he'd know how nervous she was, and if she coughed she ran the risk of giving both Rin and Shippou the disease. He finally nodded ever so slightly, and looked down at the two children who were swiveling their heads between the two older room occupants.  
  
"Go," he ordered quietly. Shippou looked like he wanted to balk, while Rin spared a worried glance in Kagome's direction before she left the room and headed in the direction that Jaken had flown in. Shippou stood uncertainly by Kagome's futon, and looked at her once again.  
  
"I won't get sick, I can't get human illnesses," Shippou finally said in protest. "I want to make sure you'll be all right."  
  
"I'll be all right, Shippou-chan," Kagome said softly, knowing how the kitsune cub worried. "Please, I need you to keep Rin-chan away."  
  
Shippou shifted from one foot to the other, then he nodded and slipped out of the room, promising to be back to check up on Kagome himself. With a weary sigh, Kagome allowed herself lay on her back and pulled the blanket up to her chin. She was just starting to drift off when Sesshoumaru's voice startled her awake again. She'd thought he'd left with the kids.  
  
"I'll send someone to attend to you," he said, before exiting the room and sliding the door shut behind him.  
  
_"Hope they bring some clothing as well," _she thought to herself, too tired now to try and contemplate the enigma that surrounded her continued existence here in Sesshoumaru's house. Not to mention the youkai lord's caring for Rin, for it was obvious that the little girl listened to and obeyed him. With a tired half coughing yawn, Kagome regulated her questions to the back burner. _ "I really should take something for this fever,"_ she thought, but trying to move was becoming harder and harder as her body continued to weaken in the wake of the fever, and she just didn't want to reach over and have to hunt up the small bottle amongst all the other junk her bag contained. _ "I'll ask whomever comes in if they can find the bottle." _  
  
With a small sigh, Kagome closed her eyes and gave into the fever's demand that she sleep. She just knew she'd feel better after a short nap. She just knew it.  
  
_To Be Continued . . . _  
  
Glossary:  
  
Same same, youkai, youki, ect.  
Iwatto: The translation I got from the Blue Seed anime is Cave of the Sun God. In Blue Seed it was a place where psychic energy was stored and that's what is causing Susanoh-oh to grow.  



	4. Omake! Omake! Omake!

**Notes:** The idea for this little short came from the Blue Seed anime as well. After every two episodes of Blue Seed (on the VHS, that is) there's an Omake, or short extra story, putting the characters into situations that range from the totally bizarre to quiet reflections. I'm going to try to follow that format with this little monstrosity of a fic and have something similar every two chapters. Whether or not I succeed is something else entirely. ^_^  
  
****************  
  
Kagome turned a page in her History book, silently reveling in the feel of the warm sun on her body. It had been such a good idea to spread a blanket out on the ground, picnic style, and just sit and enjoy the comfortable weather they were being treated to. Everyone else was enjoying the sunshine as well. Sango was sitting near Kagome, her hands folded in her lap as she watched the antics of some of the other members of their group.  
  
Shippou and Rin were playing a game of catch with one of the softballs Kagome had brought back from her last trip home. The children were completely engrossed in their game, and were oblivious to the minor chaos that was going on around them. As for Kagome, she was doing her best to ignore it and concentrate on her school work.  
  
It certainly didn't help that Miroku was keeping score, and in the process egging on the half brother's in this little "contest" Inu Yasha had challenged Sesshoumaru to in a fit of anger. Which wasn't surprising, since he usually got into trouble during one of his temper tantrums.  
  
"That's ninety-six," Miroku suddenly called, causing Inu Yasha to burst into laughter.  
  
"HAH! That's ten more than you, Sesshoumaru!" he called to his half brother, who was sedately walking around the area.  
  
"I wouldn't brag," Sesshoumaru remarked calmly. "You'll wear yourself out the way you've been going nonstop."  
  
"Hah, this is nothing!" Inu Yasha said, a gloating note in his voice.   
  
Sesshoumaru didn't respond, but instead he walked around one of the trees until he was out of sight. There was a few seconds of silence, and then he reappeared.   
  
Miroku walked over the to the tree, looked down, shook his head, and said, "Eighty-seven."  
  
Inu Yasha leaned against the nearest tree trunk and folded his arms across his chest. "Hah, you still won't catch up to me, brother!"  
  
Sesshoumaru barely glanced at his younger half brother before walking over to another tree, and performing the same ritual, which resulted in Miroku calling out, "Eighty-eight." This was repeated ten more times, until Sesshoumaru was leading in this odd contest.  
  
With a snarl, Inu Yasha rushed to a tree, dropped to all fours, and promptly lifted his leg, "marking" the tree in the way that all dogs have marked their territory over the millennia. Kagome desperately kept her nose buried in her book, wishing that this stupid contest had never started. It was crude and embarrassing, at least Sesshoumaru had the dignity and the grace to go out of site while he "marked", unlike a certain hanyou.  
  
This went on for about an hour, the two brothers competing while Miroku continued to keep score. Sango had fallen asleep in the sun, and Shippou and Rin were now munching on their lunch while watching the competition with wide eyes. There was no telling exactly how long the entire affair might have lasted if it hadn't been for Inu Yasha's sudden dash for Kagome's water bottle.  
  
"Damnit!" he yelled, while Miroku said calmly, "You lose, Inu Yasha. Sesshoumaru has twenty more trees than you, and you're the first who's had to resort to drinking water."  
  
"How the HELL did he mark more trees than me?!" Inu Yasha demanded, yelling in the direction of his brother, who was calmly regarding Inu Yasha with calm eyes.   
"Must be the difference in our breeding," Sesshoumaru said with an arrogant tilt of his chin, which served to set light to Inu Yasha's temper once again.  
  
"DAMNIT! Just you wait, once I refill I'm going to make you fucking EAT those words!"  
  
Kagome sighed and shook her head. Inu Yasha really was an idiot, and once he got his mind set on something, it was hard to make him see otherwise. It was going to be a long day.  
  
********  
  
Kagome: This story is completely fiction and has nothing to do with the original story, _Twist of Fate_, or the original_ Inu Yasha_ manga.  
Sesshoumaru: How . . . Base. *turns his nose up*  
Inu Yasha: Shut up!  
Alyson: MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  
  



	5. Fevered Dreams

Thanks go to: Celyia for Beta-reading and kicking my ass in certain areas while cackling over others, all the while being supportive. ^^ Also for letting me use the name she chose for Kagome's mother in her fic, _Blood Ties_. It just seemed to fit her. Zanne for prereading, being supportive, and promptly yelling at me for being a cruel person for ending it where I did. And then promptly threatening me with bodily harm and even death if I didn't continue. ^^;;   
  
Chapter Three  
Fevered Dreams   
  
Sesshoumaru dipped a cloth into a bowl of lavender scented water, squeezed the excess out, and gently placed it on Kagome's feverish forehead. It had been three days since the fever had begun raging in her slight body, and it had taken every ounce of Yurika's healing knowledge to keep it from going completely out of control. The old kitsune healer hadn't seemed surprised over the presence of another human in Sesshoumaru's house, and he hadn't offered her an explanation. Rin, on the other hand, hadn't been quite so silent. Sesshoumaru heard the little girl telling Yurika some of her story while Yurika brewed a fever reducing tea in the kitchen area, which was punctuated by Jaken's derisive comments whenever he felt that the little girl was embellishing something that didn't need it. Shippou's additions to the story had finally given Sesshoumaru a more clear knowledge of the events that lead up to finding Rin in Inu Yasha's wench's company.   
  
When Yurika had first walked into the room that currently housed the ill Kagome, she had let out a small sound of distress at what she had seen, thankful for the moment that Sesshoumaru-sama had been called away by Rin and the kitsune child. She didn't want him to know just how out of her depth she felt by the sight of girl on the futon. Kagome was curled on her side, shivering with chills while her lungs labored to empty themselves of the liquid that was building up in them. Her fever had spiked, and she was barely conscious, eyeing the old healer in such a way that she knew the girl had retreated to a different place in her mind. She made sympathetic noises as she turned Kagome's protesting body onto its back, and then lifted her head with her left arm, holding the bowl with the fever tea to the girl's lips. At first she didn't respond, but then her body took over and demanded some form of relief from the fire that had turned her throat dry, and she had swallowed the potion in three gulps despite the heat and bitter taste. Gently setting the girl's head back onto her pillow, Yurika had then drawn the blanket over her and watched as she fell into an uneasy sleep. Turning, she spotted Jaken standing in the doorway, an ill look upon his face and a bandage adorning the large bump on his head..  
  
"She needs a clean yukata, it's not good that she's still in her wet kimono," Yurika ordered, knowing that Jaken had no choice but to do as she said. When it concerned the ill of the household, Yurika had final say in the matter. Not even Sesshoumaru went against her instructions, unless they pertained to himself. Then Sesshoumaru did whatever Sesshoumaru wanted to do, regardless of her instructions.  
  
Jaken glared at the old healer, but knew better than to argue with her, and he went off in search of a clean yukata while Yurika turned her attention back to her patient. With quick, economical movements, she stripped Kagome of her wet clothing and tucked her back underneath the blanket. She then sat patiently and listened to the sounds Kagome's lungs were making, wincing slightly in sympathy when the deep, bone jarring coughing began again. It sounded like the girl's lungs were trying to crawl their way up her throat and out of her mouth, but the only thing that escaped was some yellow gunk, which caused the youkai to frown in concern. She quickly began to mentally run through her list of herbs and medicines, trying to come up with something that would ease the cough and sooth the throat that was no doubt going to be raw and painful when the girl woke up again.  
  
She had just settled for a soothing mint tea with honey when the door slid open and Jaken appeared, a clean white yukatA folded in his arms. Without a word, she took it from him before shooing the toad youkai out the door, shutting it in his face and effectively cutting off his protests. The old retainer may have had a low opinion of humans, but Yurika was not about to have him standing in the room while she got the girl into the garment. For one thing, it wasn't gentlemanly to watch a young woman changing clothes, for another, the girl was sick and shouldn't have to deal with visitors of the small, warty, and annoying type in the first place.  
  
With some gentle, and then not quite so gentle, prodding, Yurika managed to wake Kagome up enough to make getting her into the yukata easier, but it was obvious from the way the girl's eyes were unfocused that she hadn't completely woken up, and as soon as she was back on the futon she returned to her feverish dreams, muttering something about her head hurting. Shortly there after Sesshoumaru had entered the room again, and Yurika had left telling him she was going to get a cold compress and brew some mint tea for Kagome's cough. He had barely nodded his acknowledgement, and stood looking down at the girl until the old healer had returned. He watched in silence as she sat a large bowl of cold water that smelled faintly of lavender on the ground, and dropped a clean cloth into it. She once again lifted Kagome's head and got her to drink down the honey laced tea, telling the girl in an undertone that it would help to ease her cough a bit and grant her throat a little relief from the rawness the coughing instilled in it. She also told the girl that she needed to drink the liquid to help replenish the moisture she was losing because of the fever. Whether or not Kagome heard her, Sesshoumaru couldn't tell, but she did drain the smaller bowl of it's content before moaning and turning her head away.  
  
Yurika reached over and pulled out the now wet cloth, wrung out the excess water, and placed it on Kagome's hot forehead. The girl moaned again, but this time she turned her head in the direction that the cool relief had come from, before sighing and seeming to sink deeper into her dreams.  
  
"She will need this compress replaced ever thirty minutes with a fresh one. I also brought in some clean cloths for her to cough into when she can," Yurika told her lord, knowing that he would want to be kept updated about the girl's condition and what she was doing for her. "I'm going to keep a good supply of the mint tea brewed, and honey should be added whenever she drinks it. That will help sooth her throat and ease some of her coughing. I'll give her the fever reducing tea every four hours, but other than trying to keep her comfortable, I'm at a loss. I've never seen an illness like this before, and other than trying to treat the symptoms, I don't know how to cure it."  
  
Sesshoumaru made a soft sound of acknowledgement, and Yurika continued, "I'll keep an eye on her during the day, get her used to the treatments. There's a chance she could become delirious if the fever gets too high, and I don't know if she could become violent. At night . . ."  
  
"I will tend to her at night," Sesshoumaru said, the tone of his voice clearly stating that arguments would not be tolerated. Yurika simply nodded, not expecting any different from her lord. Sesshoumaru, like all other great youkai lords and even, she had heard, human lords, considered anyone who walked through his door as being under his protection. It could be his greatest enemy, or it could be a small human child, but he would treat them equally and see to their every need while they were under his roof. So the fact that he would willingly take over Kagome's care at night as opposed to sending a servant to do the task wasn't surprising, especially since she had saved Rin's life. Sesshoumaru now owed the girl a life debt, and the other youkai lords would agree that he was certainly one to honor all debts he felt he owed.  
  
He reached out and removed the warmed compress, dipping it once again into the cooler water before replacing it on Kagome's forehead. He then sat back and eyed her face for a long moment, noticing the wrinkle between her eyebrows that signaled either extreme pain, or extreme concentration. Considering the girl in front of him, Sesshoumaru figured it was probably both. Kagome was fighting this internal battle the same way she did all her other ones, with everything she had. It really was a shame that she was so loyal to his idiot half brother. Loyalty was to be admired, but loyalty to an idiot was just foolish. Especially considering what she had told him of her travels with the hanyou.   
  
It really had been interesting to see the change in her once the sun went down.   
  
During the day, while Yurika looked after her, Kagome was quiet, sleeping peacefully but occasionally waking up enough to be able to reassure Shippou, who would sneak into her room with very little urging from Rin, that she would be all right and to not worry. She also asked Yurika to get her a small bottle of something she called Asprin out of her large bag, and explained to the older healer that the small round objects she swallowed with the help of the mint tea were fever reducing pills. Once the old healer had been convinced of the pills effectiveness, she stopped brewing the fever reducing tea and let Kagome continue taking her Asprin.   
  
When the sun went down, however, it was a completely different story.   
  
It almost appeared that Kagome's fever was somehow connected to the sun. While it was shining and gently illuminating the room through the paper walls, her fever would go down. She would wake up enough to take care of herself regarding personal matters with very little help from Yurika - though there was the one time Kagome had convinced Yurika to let her take a bath and she had nearly drowned, her legs being too weak to hold her up in the water when she had first got in. One of the female servants had been assigned to keep an eye on her while she was in the bath, and she had pulled the floundering Kagome to the side where smooth benches had been carved out of the natural stone. Once settled, Kagome had relaxed, only to have her relaxation cut short by Yurika marching in and making her get out of the hot water, stating that it wasn't good for her fever. After that, Kagome had pretty much spent most of the days sleeping, her body exhausted from the continuous coughing.  
  
Night, however, was a completely different story. As soon as the sun would go down, Sesshoumaru would take up his position close to her head, settling down and relaxing as much as he ever allowed himself to relax. He would listen as Yurika left last minute instructions, along with a voiced worry regarding the almost never ending cough, before leaving her lord to his vigil. Sesshoumaru never slept, but he would relax his body and rest his muscles while leaving his mind clear and alert in case danger should make it's way to his home. The chances of that were rare, he had concealed this place so well that even Jaken had been unable to find it upon occasion, but it was a rash idiot who let his guard down, and Sesshoumaru was anything but rash, and he certainly wasn't an idiot.   
  
The change in Kagome, though, would have been surprising if it hadn't been for Yurika's warnings regarding high fevers before she left for the night. About an hour into the darkness, Kagome's fever would spike and she would begin to toss and turn on the futon. He always wanted to give her more of her pills when this happened, but Yurika had strictly forbidden excess use of them, stating that Kagome had said they needed to follow the directions for their use to the letter, otherwise it could make her even more sick. So he was forced to sit back and watch the girl battle whatever inner demons tormented her during the nightly hours. This had been going on for the past two nights, and the third night was proving to be no different.  
  
If she continued in the same pattern that she had followed the two previous nights, then sometime during the earliest hours of the morning, when the sky outside was its blackest, she would open her eyes, turn to look at him, and begin to talk. He found himself amazed at how clearly she spoke, pausing only to cough into one of the cloths that Yurika had brought her. It had been his understanding that delirious people usually didn't make much sense, tending to babble about anything and everything. But Kagome had been an exception. From the first night when she had looked him squarely in the eyes and announced in a determined voice that her name was Kagome (_which he already knew from her original announcement of her name earlier in the day_), she had made complete sense, and seemed to be telling him, in almost chronological order, everything that had happened to her ever since she first met up with his bastard of a half brother.  
  
The first night had been a retelling of some of her story that he already knew, her first meeting with Inu Yasha while he was still sealed against the tree, along with her meetings with him, Sesshoumaru. He learned how they had met up with the kitsune cub, and how the Monk, and then the Demon Slayer had joined their little group. She told him about the surprise she had felt when the Centipede youkai had first attacked her, and how she had somehow managed to repel the monster by some sort of power that came through her hands. Sesshoumaru didn't doubt this, ever since she had first succumbed to the fever and her guard had been let down, he had been able to sense a deep pool of raw power, so far untapped and seeming to be in a state of sleep.   
  
Not really interested in her story, Sesshoumaru had continued to keep a cold compress on her forehead, tuning out her coughing chatter until she mentioned the name Kikyou.  
  
That caught his attention as nothing she had said before had. He well knew the name of the woman that had sealed Inu Yasha fifty years ago, several of the other lesser youkai that had been after the Shikon Jewel hadn't hesitated in telling the mighty Sesshoumaru the tale of how his brother had been defeated by a mere human, and a female one at that. The story went that the woman herself had died of wounds inflicted by his brother, so to hear Kagome mention her name as if she were still alive had been startling.  
  
_"I don't remember it, you know," she said, her voice already starting to sound hoarse from the constant barrage of coughs.  
  
"Hmmm?" Sesshoumaru wasn't paying attention. It was nearly time for the girl to take those strange white pills again, and he was thankful she was awake and he wouldn't have to prod her to take them.  
  
"Having my soul taken from my body. Shippou said it was the scariest thing he had ever seen, but I don't remember a single part of it happening. But it really must have happened, otherwise Kikyou wouldn't be walking around right now."  
  
"Kikyou?" Sesshoumaru asked, his head snapping up at the sound of his brother's sealer.  
  
"Yeah. She was brought back by an old yokai witch who forged her a new body out of clay and Kikyou's burial ashes. The witch dragged my soul from my body and managed to place it inside Kikyou, but somehow I was able to take it back. Now, the only thing that really keeps her alive is the souls of other dead people. She's constantly showing up where ever we go and Inu Yasha just . . .," Kagome paused, and furrowed her brow, her eyes glazing over.  
  
Sesshoumaru didn't want to prod her, he really wasn't all that interested, but something sad had seemed to flash in Kagome's eyes, but before he could say anything, and what would he have said, anyway?, she had closed her eyes and fallen asleep again._  
  
After the first night, her stories got a little more in depth and descriptive. In a way it was like she was telling a story, once the introductions were over she was able to get onto the battles and Naraku's appearance in their lives. Sesshoumaru knew that all she was telling him were true, she was in no state mentally to be able to fabricate such stories off the top of her head. She had baffled him a few times when she had said his brother's name, followed by an angry "sit", but had filed it away for later exploration.   
  
The more she told, the more he found himself giving her something he had never given to a single human in his entire life, including his father's second wife, Inu Yasha's mother. He gave Kagome his respect. Granted it was grudging and he wouldn't admit to the fact even if his very life depended upon that confession, but his respect she had won. And if he were honest with himself, and most of the time he was unless he really didn't want to think about something he considered inconsequential, she had held a small grudging amount of his respect from the first time they had clashed eyes and words over the Tetsusaiga. She had stood toe to toe with him and dared him try and injure her, holding the untransformed Tetsusaiga in her inexperienced hands, determination written throughout every muscle in her body.   
  
That was the first time he had ever stood so close to a human and not had them quake with fear at knowing who he was. Then she had stood up to him a second time, destroying part of his armor with one of her arrows, and undoing Tetsusiaga's transformation with another. That was when he had realized that he had been dealing with someone who wasn't an ordinary human, though what exactly she was he couldn't tell. He discounted the rumors that she was the reincarnation of his brother's sealer, and after having spent some time in close proximity to her, he could say with authority that she was no one's reincarnation. Her soul, which had come to the surface when her fever had caused the guard on her power to lower briefly, just didn't feel old. In fact, he was pretty sure that she was harboring two souls, her own, and another that was much older and preferred to stay asleep inside its safe house. What it was waiting for, he didn't know, and quite frankly he didn't care. It was none of his business.  
  
What was his business at the moment was his sick guest, and with a sigh of resignation he prodded her until she opened her unfocused eyes and looked at him. He leaned forward, and placed the pills in her limp hand. She blinked at it for a few seconds, before placing the pills in her mouth, making a face at their bitter taste. She then lifted her head to the bowl of water he held for her, and swallowed, letting her head fall back against the pillow. Sesshoumaru didn't like the fact that such a simple action exhausted her so much. He knew, as did Yurika, that she was progressively getting worse. The watery sounds in her lungs increased every day, and despite the constant coughing, which was gradually getting weaker, she was expelling very little of the liquid. If this continued, and if her fever kept fluctuating, then she could very easily be in big trouble - especially since youkai medicine was doing nothing to help her other than to ease the symptoms a bit. For someone who was used to being in complete control of everything in his surroundings, this feeling that there was something out there that he couldn't control was enough to make him pause and think. And some of those thoughts were rather unpleasant.  
  
Kagome stared up at him, trying to get her fuzzy mind to connect with a body that felt as if it were weighted down with lead. Everything ached from the fever, her bones, her joints, and especially her head. Her throat felt raw, and she felt like Inu Yasha and the rest of the gang were all sitting on her chest. Breathing was difficult; breathing without coughing was near impossible. The honey laced tea she had been fed since she first was brought to Sesshoumaru's mansion helped a little bit, but she knew that what she really needed were some heavy duty antibiotics. But in order to get those antibiotics, she needed to get back to the well and return to her own time. Considering that the act of lifting her hand to her mouth or raising her head a mere inch off of her pillow exhausted her to the point where she felt like she couldn't move, she knew the chances of her returning home on her own were practically non-existent.   
  
Despite the rather gruff kindness that he had shown her, and it was kindness because he hadn't killed her yet, Kagome was still hesitant to trust Sesshoumaru with the secret of the well. She was amazed that she had managed to keep it secret even during her babble sessions, where she had told him quite a lot about her travels with his brother. Ordinarily she wouldn't have been so open with him, but the fever was making her a bit crazy, and she didn't have complete control over what she said or when she said it. She was aware of what she was saying, she just didn't have the mental powers to keep the words inside her head. Or maybe it was something else that allowed her words to flow more freely than they ever had with anyone who wasn't her mother, and even at that she didn't tell her mother everything that happened. If she had told her mother everything, Asako Higurashi would have forbid her daughter from ever returning to the Sengoku Jidai.  
  
Maybe, just maybe, it was the fact that Sesshoumaru was something of a complete stranger; someone who probably didn't care at all about everything she had been telling him. He would sit next to her, watching her with golden eyes that were bright and alert despite the lateness of the hour, occasionally prompting her when she seemed to falter over her words, but that was the extent of any interest he showed in her chatter. If she were completely honest with herself, it was most likely his lack of interest that spurred her on in her confessions. Here was someone she could talk to, it didn't matter if he responded or not. Ever since she had seen Kikyou and Inu Yasha embracing, ever since she had heard what could easily be interpreted as his confession of his feelings for Kikyou, she had needed someone to talk to. Oh, her mother had been wonderful, giving her advice to follow her heart in her quiet, gentle way, but that still didn't ease the hurt and, yes, betrayal that she had felt. Not only that, but she wanted to tell her story to someone, it didn't matter who. She always got rather morbid whenever she suffered from a fever, thinking about how she'd like to write her adventures down as some sort of story before she really did die of one thing or another. Maybe she'd even turn it into a manga, but she'd have to find the right artist for that. After all, no one other than those that were closest to her knew and accepted the truth. Everyone would treat it either as an over active imagination, or as a mental disorder, and quite frankly neither prospect sounded very appealing.  
  
She turned her head on her pillow and glanced at her host, marveling once again over the very fact that she was alive and able to feel the misery of the disease that was raging through her body. _I thought he'd rather kill a human than to look at one_, she thought, but already that belief had been shattered when she had first realized that he was caring for a human girl like she were his own child. Granted, it was a rather affectionless seeming relationship, but she hadn't seen the two interacting any since Rin had been banned from her room.  
  
Her thoughts were brought back to the present when she felt the cool compress touch her forehead again. She glanced over at her nurse (she mentally giggled at that passing thought) and wondered once again at the change he underwent by simply removing his armor and shoulder ornament. In a way, it almost seemed like he was a completely different person. Unbidden, and in a sense unwelcome, her mouth opened of its own accord and she began to speak, mentally wincing at just how little of a voice she had left, the coughing having worn down her vocal cords and exhausted her throat.  
  
"She tried to kill me once," she croaked. Sesshoumaru paused and cocked an eyebrow at her.   
  
"Kikyou. She tried to kill me once," she clarified. And with those words Kagome felt such a deep sense of relief that she wondered why she didn't just melt on the spot from the sensation. It felt wonderful to say those words, to confess something that she hadn't told anyone else. She suspected that Miroku and Sango had picked up on the fact that something had been wrong after they all escaped from Naraku's Illusionary Death trap, but Inu Yasha was, as always, completely oblivious; preferring to believe Kikyou's lie about the Shikon shard she had stolen rather than dwell on what could have been the real reason Kagome had been dangling over the large pit filled with Naraku's miasma.  
  
"We had been chasing after Naraku, who had been trying to gain a replacement body by having all sorts of youkai fight each other in this large pit. Sango-chan, Shippou-chan and I were waiting outside the cave that led to the pit, Inu Yasha saying that he didn't think we all needed to go in, since he felt it was probably just an ordinary youkai. So I stayed behind with Sango-chan, as Inu Yasha had asked, and waited for Miroku-sama and him to return from the cave. They took so long that we began to get worried, and I had decided it was time to go in after them when Kikyou appeared behind us. She asked us about Inu Yasha, and then went inside the cave. I told Shippou-chan to stay with Sango-chan because the evil aura coming from the cave was making her sick, and I followed. It wasn't too long before I caught up with Miroku-sama. We managed to make our way to a ledge that over looked the pit the youkai were fighting in, and saw that Kikyou had either fallen unconscious on the arena floor, or was unable to move from losing the dead souls that were powering her body. Inu Yasha . . . ," here, Kagome broke off for a second, and gazed up at the ceiling.  
  
"The idiot was fighting the remaining youkai in the pit," Sesshoumaru said, sounding bored.  
  
"Yes. He was fighting to keep the youkai from absorbing Kikyou into its body. I managed to get to here and pulled her out of the way, and she woke up and fired an arrow that pierced the seal that had surrounded the cave. She did it to save Inu Yasha."  
  
"Are you trying to delude yourself about that fact, or do you truly believe it?" Now he sounded bored AND slightly irritated, but Kagome couldn't tell anything from his poker face.   
  
_Gamblers should take lessons from him_, Kagome thought.  
  
"She did it," Kagome said, her voice determined despite its hoarseness and the occasional cough, "To save Inu Yasha. He would have become a part of Naraku's replacement body if she hadn't fired that arrow. But she used all her power to do so, or so I thought at the time, and Naraku grabbed her and carried her off. Inu Yasha nearly went crazy with worry, and when I told him we should go save Kikyou, he tried to brush it off, saying he would go by himself. The others weren't going to have anything to do with that plan, and I think Inu Yasha realized that the fight against Naraku isn't his alone; it really belongs to all of us."  
_  
Replacement body? That's the second time she's mentioned it. I wonder what she means._ Sesshoumaru knew that Naraku was currently trying to dispel the human portion of his hanyou body, but this was the first he'd heard of him having a replacement body. With patience learned over years and years of living and battling to stay alive, he contained his curiosity and continued to listen to her story while keeping his face neutral. He certainly didn't want to let her know that he was interested in what she had to say.  
  
_Great, he's got that look again,_ Kagome thought. _But I'm sick and it's good to finally tell SOMEONE about what happened that day. He's just going to have to deal with it._  
  
Sesshoumaru turned back to the lavender water in order to hide the slight smile that had crept over his face. The girl obviously had no idea that she had just spoken her thoughts aloud.  
  
"Naraku's Saimyoushou showed up, and instead of letting Inu Yasha go alone, we all followed after them. On the way we ran into some of Kikyou's Dead-Soul-Insects, so we knew the Saimyoushou were leading us correctly, and most likely they were leading us into a trap. All of the insects vanished into a wall of mist, and as soon as everyone entered the general area, they all vanished. Later, Miroku-sama told me that they all had been caught in Naraku's Illusionary Death, where their worst fears and darkest memories were brought to life for them. I don't know why I wasn't affected, but I made it to where Naraku and Kikyou were. I shot an arrow at him, and it hit, but it wasn't the real Naraku, just another one of his puppets. He opened up a fissure underneath me, and nearly dropped me into a pool of his miasma. I grabbed onto some vines and part of the ledge, and knowing I couldn't hold on for very long, I called for help. I never expected Kikyou to be the one who came to the ledge. I thought she was unable to move, but she told me otherwise," Kagome paused again, trying to catch some of the breath she'd lost through both talking and coughing.  
  
"Apparently, she had been able to move the entire time, she just wanted to see what Naraku was up to. She lifted me up using her Death-Soul-Insects. I thought . . . I thought she was going to help me, that she was going to lift me out of the fissure and set me on the solid ground. I was a fool."  
  
"Obviously," Sesshoumaru commented, earning a dark look from Kagome.  
  
"Kikyou reached out and took the Shikon shard I had from around my neck, then ordered her youkai servants to drop me. I managed to grab the ledge again, and that was when Inu Yasha showed up. He hadn't seen Kikyou try to drop me into the pool of miasma, and when he asked what had happened Kikyou told him that she had taken the shard from me because apparently that was why Naraku was after me. She deliberately made it sound like she was trying to save me from Naraku by taking the shard," Kagome's hands clenched into fists, grabbing a small handful of the blanket that covered her, "And of course she didn't say a thing about trying to kill me."  
  
"….." Sesshoumaru didn't seem inclined to say anything to that comment, then asked, "Did you tell Inu Yasha the truth?"  
  
"….." It was Kagome's turn to be silent for a moment, but that silence was all the answer Sesshoumaru needed.   
  
"You are an idiot."  
  
"Hey," Kagome shot back, pausing for a second to cough. "I couldn't tell him because it would have sounded like I was making it up because I was unable to protect the jewel. Or worse, that I was jealous and making up tales. Either way, Inu Yasha seemed to believe her."  
  
"Then he's more of an idiot than I originally thought," he commented, reaching out to take the cloth and rewet it.  
  
"Hey!" Kagome began again, only to be cut off by Sesshoumaru asking, "You said Naraku had been creating a replacement body. Why did he need to replace it?"  
  
"Because I destroyed the other one," Kagome answered. Sesshoumaru looked at her, prompting Kagome to think, _Whoa, I thought he only had a limited number of facial expressions! Smirk, smirk, smirk, cold glare, smirk, death glare, neutral look, smirk, and curious. I guess I can add incredulous to that list.  
_  
"It wasn't intentional, I didn't even know I could project any sort of spiritual power into an arrow," Kagome said.  
  
_She really has no idea of the power that sleeps within her_, Sesshoumaru thought with some surprise. Kagome took his contemplative air as a signal to continue with her story.  
  
"Naraku had tricked Sango-chan into stealing the Tetsusaiga and giving it to him," Kagome's head jerked over to glare at Sesshoumaru when she thought she heard him give a snort of disgust. Determinedly, she continued, "He tried to make her and Kohaku-kun fight against each other to the death, but Sango-chan refused and got hurt pretty badly by Kohaku-kun. When we arrived, Naraku went into full taunting mode. Inu Yasha attacked him. But every time he cut one of those tendrils Naraku sent towards us, the more his miasma was loosed to surround us. Inu Yasha tossed part of his fire-rat haori over Sango-chan, Shippou-chan and myself in an effort to protect us, but it was obvious that Naraku was winning. And then he started to taunt Inu Yasha about how he was failing at protecting his friends, how he was useless, worthless. I snapped. After what he had done to Kohaku-kun and Sango-chan, and then to listen to him taunt Inu Yasha was more than I could take."  
  
Sesshoumaru blinked when he noticed that Kagome was starting to glow faintly. Her broken voice had gained strength from the anger that was resurfacing at the memory of what had happened that day, and with every word she spoke the glow around her intensified.   
  
"Naraku really is. The. WORST!" Kagome growled, and the light that was surrounding her exploded outwards so fast that Sesshoumaru didn't have time to raise a hand to defend himself. He felt a brush of heat followed by a tingling sensation against his face, before the light was suddenly retracted back into Kagome's body as she curled on her side, coughing. _She was able to pull her power back inside without being aware of it_, he mused. _Interesting._  
  
Kagome's coughing gradually subsided, and she rested for a moment by taking shallow breaths that wouldn't irritate her lungs or her throat. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a clawed hand gently run through her hair, but she relaxed when she felt him turning her over onto her back. A few seconds later she gratefully drank the lukewarm honey laced tea he held out for her. With a sigh she settled back down and gazed at the ceiling again, wrinkling her nose when she felt her leg begin to itch. _Ugh, if I feel this itchy, I don't even want to know what I smell like.  
_  
That alarming thought prompted her to struggle to sit up, while muscles that were exhausted from the fever screamed that they didn't want to move an inch. Sesshoumaru watched her movements with a lifted eyebrow, before moving forward to place his hand on her back, helping her to move into an upright position.  
  
"What do you think you are doing?" he asked.  
  
"I'm going to take a bath," she announced.   
  
"You are in no condition to take a bath, Kagome. I heard about your near drowning incident."  
  
_He would have_, she sulked. _And when did he start calling me by my name? I've always been Inu Yasha's wench, human, witch, bitch, or just plain you.   
_  
"I really REALLY need to take a bath," Kagome grumbled, shifting on her futon. "I feel gross, and I probably smell gross, too."  
  
He wasn't about to agree with her, even though there was a sickly smell that was part of her illness. He knew he should probably let her take her bath, he remembered hearing from other youkai that she was partial to them, but he knew she was in no state to take one by herself. All of his servants were asleep at this time of morning, most of them worn out by Yurika's constant demands regarding the young woman in front of him. He wasn't about to go wake them up for something as minor as a bath, despite the fact that the task really was menial and below him. She was a guest, sort of, and he owed her something akin to a life debt for her saving Rin. Still . . . .  
  
"You can have a bath," he said, watching her face light up as she smiled, "Only if you can make it there yourself. Without my help."  
  
"Why would I need your help?" she asked curiously. "What about one of your servants?"  
  
"My servants are all asleep in preparation for their tasks tomorrow, and most of them have been doing Yurika's bidding while she attempts to heal you. I will not awaken them at this hour when it might interfere with their routine tasks tomorrow," he replied, glancing down his nose at her. He had to fight back a smirk at the look of surprise on her face. The surprise quickly melted away to annoyance, and then determination.  
  
Both eyebrows hit his hair line when Kagome began to scramble around on the futon. Within a few seconds she was standing, albeit on very shaky legs. Her eyebrows drew together into a frown of concentration as she adjusted her yukata slightly, drew in a deep breath, coughed, and took a step forward. Sesshoumaru figured it was a good sign that the girl didn't immediately fall onto her face. He got to his feet, as well, and stood back, giving her room to make her way to the door, but staying close enough to be able to catch her should she fall.  
  
Kagome shot him a look. "I'm not going to fall," she said huffily, reaching for the door and sliding it open. She made her way slowly into the hallway, then turned in the direction of the bath. Exhaustion warred with determination, but Kagome had been going head to head with one of the most stubborn creatures on the earth for a while now, and she wasn't about to let a little fever get the better of her. Right.   
  
She leaned against the wall, using it for support and thanked whoever built the house that aside from the rice paper doors, the walls were thick and sturdy. She panted a bit, willing herself not to cough while shooting a dark look over the shoulder at the youkai lord who dogged her steps. _Now that's an accurate way to put it_, she mused.  
  
Sesshoumaru had to admit, the girl was stubborn and, even though it was tempered by the illness, she had spunk. Not to mention determination. She was half way to the bathhouse, and despite the sweat that dotted her brow and the fever red cheeks, she showed no signs of giving in and letting him help her back to the room.  
  
"Shouldn't you be *_doing_* something?" she griped as she paused again, more than a little irritated with him watching her struggle to the bath.  
  
"Oh? And what should I be doing, pray tell?" he asked, sardonic amusement lacing his voice.  
_  
Oh great, I'm entertaining him_, she thought grumpily. "I don't know, check to make sure that the bathing instruments are in the bath? See if there are clean drying cloths?"  
  
"My servants always keep the bathing area in impeccable order," he replied, more than a hint of pride showing. "There is no need to check on their work, they are well trained."  
_  
Most likely scared out of their minds that he would kill them should they let even a speck of dust settle onto his floor_, she thought sourly. _Guess being a powerful and feared youkai lord has its benefits._  
  
Finally, oh finally, she was standing in front of the bathhouse door. She couldn't help but shoot Sesshoumaru a triumphant grin as she slid the door open and stepped over the threshold into the waiting steam. She felt as if she had just crossed a major hurdle both physically and mentally, and she wanted to savor the moment. Her body, on the other hand, had other ideas, and her legs buckled. She would have sprawled inelegantly on the smooth stone floor if it hadn't been for a swift clawed hand catching the back collar of her yukata. She found herself immensely glad that she had double knotted the sash when Sesshoumaru hefted her off her feet by said collar, and carried her over to the bathing stool next to the hot spring.  
  
"You will use the warmed water to rinse with, the last thing I need is for you to make your condition worse than what it already is," he ordered. "When you are ready to soak in the hot spring, call me." With that, he turned and vanished out the door, shutting it gently behind him.   
  
_Huh_. Kagome sat in thought for a moment, once again trying to come up with a reason as to why Sesshoumaru was taking care of her, but she quickly shook off her brooding and disrobed. She knew Sesshoumaru would keep his word and stay out of the bathing area while she washed, so she didn't feel rushed. Which turned out to be a good thing, because she could barely lift enough water to even rinse off a small portion of the soap suds that clung to her skin. She was very grateful that he had let her use the warmed water for rinsing as opposed to the usual chilled water. That would not have been pleasant.  
  
She was so exhausted by the time she finished rinsing her hair that her hands shook as she wrapped one of the longer drying cloths around her body, tucking the ends in. She didn't think she had the strength to handle wrapping her hair in a towel, as well, so she simply left her hair down. Having finished her task, she sat and stared at the inviting hot spring. She knew that Sesshoumaru had told her to call him when she was ready to sit in the spring, but her pride told her that she had been able to make her way to the bath house without his help, and she should be able to make her way into the hot spring without his help, as well. Besides, that little bout of being carried around like a baby kitten in its mother's mouth had been embarrassing.  
  
Having made up her mind, Kagome resolutely stood . . .and instantly regretted her move as her weakened legs gave out from underneath her, and she sat down hard onto the edge of the washing stool. This caused the small sitting instrument to tip over and dump her onto the stony ground with a loud clatter. She sat there, stunned, for all of a second when a large shadow appeared on the ground in front of her, and she looked up into her reluctant care taker's face. _Add exasperated to that growing list of facial expressions, Kagome_, she thought.  
  
"You really are an idiot," he said as he gazed down his nose at her.  
  
"What makes you say that?" Kagome replied huffily, wanting to rub her sore rear but not daring to while the youkai lord was standing over her, and also ignoring the fact that the tipped over stool and her position on said floor had warranted Sesshoumaru's comment. She just felt like being contrary.  
  
"……" He just looked at her, and she bit her lower lip and glanced away. "Yeah, all right, I'm sorry. I thought I could make it safely into the water on my own."  
  
Sesshoumaru suppressed a sigh. "Most likely you would have drowned had you made it that far, and saved me the trouble of taking care of you."  
  
"Hey!" Kagome protested, turning her eyes back to his tall form, only to have them bug out when she noticed that he had changed his attire. She immediately put her hands to her already flushed cheeks, feeling how the heat increased as a blush intensified their bright pink color to an almost glow-in-the-dark crimson color. She couldn't stop her eyes from tracing the hard planes of his chest, shoulders, and abdomen, noting how his missing arm ending in a clean cut as opposed to the type of injury she was used to seeing on late night television, where bits and pieces of flesh would have been used to close the wounds, leaving the edges looking rough and unfinished.   
  
He stood before her, glaring down his nose with his hand on his hip, the only thing protecting his modesty (or was it her modesty he was protecting?) was a rokushaku fundoshi. And THOSE left little to the imagination to begin with. It was one thing when the sumo wrestlers wore them; it was something completely different when Sesshoumaru wore it. _Oh my god, just DON'T turn around!  
_  
Sesshoumaru turned his back on her, ignoring her sudden squeak in favor of scanning the night air that surrounded his home. Good, there was no hint of danger approaching from any direction. Not that he expected it would, but one could never be too careful.  
  
For her part, Kagome was trying desperately to get her breathing under control. The front of the fundoshi offered some form of coverage, but the back . . .the back was more like a large thong than anything else. And she had just been graced with quite an eyeful of the youkai lord's nicely shaped rear before his hair swung into place and covered it. _What am I THINKING?!_ she mentally wailed _This is SESSHOUMARU! You know, the guy that would be voted most likely to kill you rather than look at you?! Get a grip! Aurgh!_  
  
Sesshoumaru turned back to his ill guest, wondering when she'd realize she had been voicing her thoughts aloud. Her most recent commentary had been muttered so low that even he had been unable to catch her words, but most of the time she made her thoughts known loud and clear. He also wondered if her eyes were supposed to be that large. _She better be careful, they might just pop out of her head._  
  
Kagome gave another surprised squeak when Sesshoumaru reached down and grabbed her arm, hauling her to her feet. She staggered and he steadied her, moving her towards the inviting water of the hot spring. For her part, she was trying to ignore the tall figure beside her. Once she was settled on the stony bench that ran along the rim of the bath, she could put some distance between them. _This fever is making me crazy! _  
  
At last they reached the edge of the natural bath, and Kagome found herself thankful for Sesshoumaru's steadying hand as she lowered herself to the rim, and then slid into the inviting warmth, letting it surround her. She relaxed, and smiled slightly as she felt him slide into the water beside her. There was nothing quite like a good bath when you weren't feeling your best, and since she was close to feeling her worst the bath was pure bliss, even if her companion was a blood thirsty youkai who had allowed her to live in his home for the past three and a half days for reasons unknown. At the moment, Kagome didn't care about the why's, how's and what's that had been spinning in her head ever since she first woke up. She was going to enjoy this bath, damnit, frosty youkai or not.  
  
Sesshoumaru leaned back against the wall of the spring, keeping half an eye on the girl who sat next to him. Little by little he began to relax, soaking up the silence that had been lacking in his home since he had obtained his very sick, and rather vocal, guest. It certainly didn't help that Rin and the kitsune cub were constantly hounding either him or Yurika over how Kagome was doing and when she'd get well. He was thankful, though, that the kit was proving to be a good companion for Rin. He would often see the two playing outside as long as it was safe, and had listened once to Jaken's complaining about a trick the two had pulled on the old retainer involving the Staff of Heads. Much to Jaken's further annoyance, Shippou had also joined in on Rin's daily lessons, and even Sesshoumaru had been hard pressed to not crack a smile when the kids had taken advantage of Jaken's nap during one of their writing lessons, and had painted all sorts of symbols all over the toad's face and head. Shippou had later told Kagome the story when he had come to visit her, and the girl had coughed so hard from laughing that she turned blue in the face.  
  
Speaking of Kagome . . . He turned his attention back to her, in time to catch her as she began to slide underneath the water. She gave a half choked screech, which wasn't near as effective as it would have been had she been healthy and not hoarse from coughing, and stiffened when he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. She then began to kick her legs and pulled a bit on his arm. "If you want to drown yourself," he said sardonically, "Then tell me, otherwise stop thrashing."  
  
Kagome instantly stilled at his words. She had fallen into a half sleep, lulled by the warmth and sense of safety that had invaded her senses, exhausted from the coughing and the constant internal battle as her system fought to rid her of her illness. She hadn't realized that her weakened muscles had decided to give up in their battle to keep her sitting up right and in place, and the smooth bench hadn't offered anything for her towel to snag and help hold her onto the seat. She hadn't been aware of the gradual slide into the water until she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist. It had startled her so badly that she had reacted without thinking, and it was only Sesshoumaru's voice that had finally gotten her to calm down.   
  
She had begun to relax again when he decided he didn't like her sitting on the rock bench, period, and swiftly moved her onto his lap. THAT garnered quite a reaction.  
  
"What are you DOING?!" she tried to yell, but it only came off as a half croaked whisper. Every muscle in her body tensed when she felt his thighs underneath her, and when he pulled her back against his chest she thought her heart would stop, as well. The arm wrapped snugly around her was similar to a band of steel that had been sheathed in velvet, gentle yet unrelenting. She tried to struggle, but froze when she felt the _slightest _pinprick of his claws against her side.  
  
"Hold still," he growled. "Do you think I like having a human in my lap? This is the only way I can keep you from falling victim to your own stupidity."  
  
_Why that!_ Kagome was very tempted to snap her head back into the arrogant youkai's face, but the thought of the headache that would cause, not to mention the claw tips that were just barely touching her skin, made her rethink her actions. Instead she kept herself as stiff as possible, which was rather hard when your muscles were aching from fever and screaming to be allowed to rest. She fought the urge to thrash some more when she felt him nuzzling into her hair. _What the hell?_  
  
"Move your hair over your shoulder," came the demand.   
  
"Eh?"  
  
"Unlike some youkai, human hair is not what I would consider to be something worth eating."  
  
_Oh_. He couldn't move her hair out of his face on his own since his arm was currently busy holding her onto his lap. _Hah, maybe I'll just ignore him and let him choke on my hair._  
  
"I wouldn't recommend ignoring me," he said. The comment caused her to jump slightly, and she tried to whip her head around to look at him, but the best she could do was to stare out of the corner of her eye since his hold on her didn't allow for any movement of her body.  
  
"What?!"   
  
"Contrary to what you think, I would not choke on your hair. I could simply just release my hold on you and allow you to drown," he said.  
  
"You've been reading my thoughts?!" The hoarseness in Kagome's voice didn't lessen her vehemence any, and Sesshoumaru almost wished she were facing him. Her face was the most animated thing he had ever seen, every emotion she felt visible for all to see.  
  
"Reading your thoughts had nothing to do with it," he informed her. "You've been quite vocal about what you were thinking for quite some time now. You especially seem interested in listing all of my facial expressions."  
  
"Oh my god," Kagome moaned, looking forward again and covering her face with her hands. She was mortified, and was quite tempted to tell him to just simply release his hold and put her out of her misery. Instead, she reached around with one hand, gathered her hair, and swung it forward over her right shoulder. "What else have I babbled about?"  
  
"My servants are not afraid that I will kill them should the floor get a little dusty," he commented, echoing one of her earlier thoughts about how well trained his servants were. "Each knows their job, and if they can't perform it to my expectation, they are found a position in another household."  
  
"I don't think I want to know what else you heard me say," Kagome muttered through gritted teeth. She felt his chest vibrate slightly against her back. _What the?_ The sensation came again, and she was shocked to realize that he was laughing. Silently, yes, and she couldn't get a good look to see if he was smiling, but he was defiantly laughing. _Once again, I'm his entertainment,_ she thought. _ I need to find a way to distract him._  
  
"Um, Sesshoumaru, do you think you could tell me a little about the Western lands?" she asked, mentally going over topics that might be considered taboo with the frosty youkai. The list was staggering.  
  
For a few moments she thought he wasn't going to answer, then, "What would you like to know?"  
  
"How long has your family been the ruling youkai?" she asked, eager to get a little familial background on both Inu Yasha and him.  
  
"Since before the humans existed here," he said. "Youkai roamed these lands long before the first humans arrived. Back then there were no boundaries, no taking of human form. It was survive or be killed so another could survive. It was lawless and wild, drifting from one day to the next without knowing who would live or who would die. Eventually four great warriors arose from the constant fighting, and they wanted to enforce some form of law upon the land. For a hundred years it worked, until the first human set foot upon this land. It did not take long for them to reproduce and crowd the area, and many youkai were forced into closer contact than what they had ever been in since the crude laws were first created. Fighting broke out again, and this time the four warriors were not immune to it. They quarreled, the laws were broken and scattered to the winds. Eventually the four broke with each other and went to the four directions of the land. The Inuyoukai claimed the Western lands, the Wolf Youkai claimed the north, while the Eastern lands are held by the Nekoyoukai, and the Southern lands are held by the Kitsune and other shape shifting youkai."  
  
"And the rule now is basically survival of the fittest," Kagome murmured. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't notice when he rested his chin on her exposed shoulder.  
  
"There are a few who still adhere to one of the old rules. Mostly it's other youkai lords or older, more traditional youkai families."  
  
"The old rule?" she asked, curious.  
  
"Only one. Whenever someone crosses the threshold of your home, they are considered to be under your protection. As such, you do anything in your power to see that they obtain what they want, and that they are taken care of as one of your own."  
  
"That explains a bit about why you haven't killed me yet," Kagome said, surprised that youkai even had an unspoken rule dictating conduct towards a guest.  
  
"Yet. The week is still young," he replied.  
  
_Is he teasing me?_ she wondered. A vibration behind her back confirmed her suspicion. _Sesshoumaru is TEASING me! _  
  
"There's no need to get worked up, contrary to popular opinion I do have a sense of humor."  
  
"Hah, at the expense of another person," Kagome snorted, ignoring his unspoken comment about her voicing her thoughts aloud again. "I'm sorry, but you and a sense of humor go hand in hand as much as someone telling me a porcupine makes a cuddly pet."  
  
He made a soft "hmming" sound, then, "You're not getting better."  
  
It was a statement that didn't merit a reply, but she said, "No, I'm not."  
  
"Youkai medicine is proving to be ineffectual against this disease, and your Asprin is not doing anything to help, either. You are getting worse," he stated.  
  
Again, she replied, even though she knew she didn't need to. "Yes."  
  
"You saved Rin," he said, finally giving her another piece of the puzzle as to why she was still alive and under his roof. _He does care for her,_ she thought, this time managing to not voice her opinion aloud. "I would never hear the end of it if I let her 'oneechan' die while under my care. You are hiding something, you have been ever since you arrived here. I could order to you to tell me what it is you are hiding, but you have proven to be quite stubborn." There was grudging admiration in his voice.  
  
Kagome's eyes widened. Through all their talks, or rather, through all her of babbling her story to him, she hadn't once mentioned the Bone Eater's Well. She knew that was her only chance to be healed, but she still hesitated at giving Sesshoumaru that knowledge, and thus, that power over her. What would happen to her family? Would he go on a killing rampage when he found out there were no more youkai in existence in the future? Or would he just drop her off and leave, not taking time to assess the world he would, quite literally, be dropped in. It was enough to cause her head to start aching. He seemed to sense this, for he stood up in the water, keeping his arm wrapped around her, and lifted both of them out onto the stone floor. Kagome hung there, her feet a good inch and a half off the ground as he walked towards the tipped over bathing stool. He quickly set it back to rights with his foot, before depositing his soggy bundle onto it. She stared at him as he tossed a clean drying cloth to her with orders to "dry off and get dressed" before he left the bathing area. His long white hair obscured most of her view of his bare back, but the thought of it caused her to blush anyway, and she quickly set about doing what he had ordered.  
  
She was relatively dry and back in her warm yukata when he came back through the door. He was wearing his normal outfit, complete with the shoulder fur. The only thing missing was his spiky armor. She briefly wondered why he was wearing the fur again when he hadn't worn it the past few nights, when he leaned down and picked her up. He used the fur as an extension of his missing arm, curling it underneath and around her knees, while his arm supported her back. She quickly wrapped an arm around his neck, gazing up at his profile. Another question bubbled to the surface.  
  
"What is it?" she asked, indicating the fur that was wrapped around her knees.  
  
"It is a sentient being," he answered. "The lowest form of youkai in existence. It can perform simple tasks such as the one it's doing now."  
  
"That makes sense," she commented. "Hey, it needs a name!"  
  
"What?" he glanced down at her.  
  
"I'm going to call it Fluffy!" she announced.   
  
He felt his eye start to twitch. "It does not need a name," he growled.  
  
"Of course it does," she argued. "It's a bit like a pet, and all pets need names."  
  
He glared down at her. "It is not a _pet_," he growled.   
  
"Whatever you say," she said with a wave of her hand, causing him to fight the urge to just drop her and let her get back to her bed on her own. _Infuriating girl!_  
  
They reached her room without further comment, and he swiftly sat her onto her futon, backing away as she adjusted the blanket over her. It was close to dawn, and soon Yurika would be waking to check on her. He watched her with hooded eyes as she scooched further under her blanket, regarding him sleepily.  
  
"Thank you," she said, causing his eyebrows to raise slightly. "For allowing me the bath. I know it didn't really make me feel better physically, but it made me feel better mentally. I hate feeling dirty when I'm sick."  
  
He regarded her for a moment, bent down to pick up the now warmed bowl of lavender water, then, "You're welcome."  
  
He turned to go, intending to fill up the bowl with cold, fresh water, when her voice stopped him again. "Let me think about it. I have to think about it before I tell you. You have to promise . .," her voice drifted off, and he turned to find that she had fallen asleep.  
  
He left, knowing that she would tell him what it was she was hiding. He passed the old healer in the hallway, and gave her a brief update on Kagome's condition. He didn't tell her that he had allowed Kagome to bathe. Yurika wouldn't have said anything to him, but he didn't feel like Kagome needed a lecture at the moment. And the bath had seemed to do her some good. It had gotten her to relax a bit and let her body take care of itself for a few moments.  
  
He filled the bowl with fresh lavender water, then returned to Kagome's room. He handed it to Yurika without comment, then left the house to check around the immediate area. For a brief moment he felt a strange presence near his home, something alien, but it was gone so fast that a lesser youkai would have brushed it off. Not Sesshoumaru. He filed that strange, fleeting feeling away. If it came again, he would recognize it, and find out if it were friend or foe. He returned to his home and reentered it just as the sun peeked over the horizon.  
  
*******  
  
Kagome felt the sunlight touch her eyelids, and she opened them to find Yurika in Sesshoumaru's place. She took a moment to study the old healer. She was a kitsune, very advanced in her years, but age had not taken away from her beauty. Rather, it had enhanced it. Gentle wrinkles could not hide the high cheekbones, the strong tilt of the chin, and the wise, stubborn light in her blue eyes. Instead of looking weathered by life, she looked refined by it, the wrinkles she bore proudly had not been scoured deep into her skin by grief, pain, or regret. Rather, they looked like the wrinkles of someone who laughed often, accepted things for what they were, and managed to find the bright side of everything. Her dark gray hair had been pulled into a high pony tail, and bangs swept gently across her forehead. Her tail was long, it nearly swept the floor behind her as she walked, and matched her hair in shade and tone. She gazed at Kagome now, worry evident in her eyes and she listened to the young girl's labored attempts to breath.  
  
"You're not getting better," she stated, unknowingly echoing her lord's earlier words.  
  
"Yurika, may I ask you something?" Kagome asked, causing the healer to frown at the state of her voice.  
  
"You may," she answered.  
  
"I'm under Sesshoumaru's protection, correct?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Does that protection extend to outside his house, or just while I'm here?"  
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama owes you a debt for Rin's life," Yurika answered. "His protection extends past the boundaries of this house, and even past the boundaries of the Western lands themselves."  
  
Kagome fidgeted a little, then blurted out, "Would that protection extend to my family?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Kagome heaved a sigh of relief. Her mind had been decided. There was no other way to heal her, and Yurika had said Sesshoumaru would not harm her family. Still . . .   
  
"Please, will you call him for me? I must ask him something."  
  
The kitsune gave her a curious look, then rose from her position and left. Kagome rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling, telling herself that she wasn't crazy for doing what she was about to do. It was her only chance to survive the illness that was probably turning into pneumonia at that very minute. The thought caused her to shudder, and her eyes were more than a little apprehensive when the door slid open and Sesshoumaru entered her room. She slowly sat up as he took a seat on the floor next to her futon, and regarded her quietly, his face closed off and watchful.  
  
"I need you to promise that you will not harm my family," Kagome said, not beating around the bush, but a little afraid she might have insulted him. She saw his eyes twitch slightly in surprise, before he said, "You have my word."  
  
She breathed a sigh of relief. _ Oh good, I didn't insult him._  
  
"I wouldn't expect you to trust that my protection would extend to your family as well," he commented, making her wince when she realized she was thinking out loud again.   
  
"You don't have the best reputation, you know," she grumbled.  
  
That comment didn't cause for a response, and he gave her none. He simply sat and watched her with amber eyes that seemed a little warmer than what she was used to seeing. She fidgeted, then sighed.   
  
"I need you to take me home," she said. "That's the only chance I have of getting better. I need you to take me through the Bone Eater's Well."  
  
_To Be Continued . . . _  
  
Notes:  
  
Most of the words in here are pretty much the same ones used throughout, hanyou, miko, kitsune, baka, and the honorifics. Though I do need to explain a fundoshi, I think. ^^ Or rather, I'll tell you how to find the link that I used as a reference, that might be easier. Go to the google search engine (this wouldn't be such a pain if the links weren't taken out of the fic, I"m so sorry about the pictures and what not in the opening notes of this fic) and type in rokushaku funoshi. The VERY first link will be "Untitled" but underneath it should say How to tie a Rokushaku Funoshi. It's a pictorial showing you how to tie the particular garment in place. Now I will warn you, you get to see a guys bare backside, but there's nothing perverted or pornographic about it unless you consider looking at someone who's wearing the equivilant of a male thong offensive. If you do, I suggest you don't view that page and imagine Sess in something similar to what Sumo Wrestler's wear. ^_^  
  
Replies:  
  
_Dumdeedum_ - I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! I figured it would probably be difficult to get readers since not many people are familiar with Blue Seed, which I think is a shame. I really appreciate you reading it despite not being familiar with what will soon be about half of the main cast. I hope you enjoy Blue Seed, I know it's a tad slow to start with, but it's a fun series even with the serious under tone. ^^  
  
_Cryptiic Muse_ - Thanks! I intend to, even though I do tend to write at a snail's pace at times. ^_^  
  
_Sailor Panda_ - Yay! I'm glad you weren't weirded out and gave it a try, too! Thank you so much for your praise, I'm always paranoid about characterization, and this being a cross over adds its own dimension of difficult regarding the different characters interacting with each other (which is coming up). One of the highest compliments for me is that the characters are IC. Thank you so much!  
  
_Silver Dragonfly_ - *grin* Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed, I will admit I had a lot of perverse pleasure in writing the first Omake. I figured I could get away with a lot of things with the little shorts, help take away from the eventual seriousness of the story. I also ADORE your site, and have become a regular visitor. ^^  
  
_Vorsith_ - Thanks! This chapter didn't have any of Kus or IY, but they will defiantly make an appearance in the next chapter. I'm glad you're enjoying the story! ^^  
  
_Queen_ - Thank you so so much! Yep, the rest of IY-tachi are going to be along for the ride, but for right now they're going to be a bit in the background, though they WILL be making an apperance in the next chapter, along with Kusanaig and company. I'm hoping to bring the two shows together in chapter five without screwing up their characters. ^^;; *crosses fingers* And thanks for the wish for the muses, they're much needed!  
  
_Astra M. - _Thanks, Astra, I always appreciate your comments, especially since I know how you feel about what I'm going to be working towards in regards to Kagome and her significant other. ^_~ As well as the ICness of the characters, you KNOW how paranoid I am about that. You're welcome for the notes, if you want, I'd be more than happy to give you Blue Seed so you can watch it. Despite it's slow start, I think it's a wonderful series and I love all the characters in it. ^^   
  
Thank you so much, everyone!   
  
  
  



	6. Jump to the Future

Chapter Four:  
Jump to the Future  
  
Sesshoumaru listened quietly as Kagome described in full the first time the centipede youkai had attacked her. He didn't bat an eyelash or twitch an eyebrow as she explained about the well being a time portal to the future. He didn't stare at her disbelievingly as she described her trips to and from the Sengoku Jidai, but he did furrow his brows slightly when she mentioned that she didn't think there were any youkai in her time. Seeing his reaction she fidgeted a bit, then she thought about what she had said, and back tracked on her statement. After all, the Noh mask had come after her Shikon shards, and it had certainly been a type of youkai. So maybe there were youkai in her time, they were just very well hidden.  
  
He continued to listen as Kagome began babbling randomly, but he was no longer paying attention. His thoughts were centered on his young ward and her new friend, and how he was going to prevent them from following him. Rin, he knew, would do whatever he told her to. It was the kit who could pose the biggest problem. It was obvious he regarding Kagome as a sort of surrogate mother, and wouldn't take kindly to Sesshoumaru leaving without taking him with them. He supposed he could knock Shippou out and tie him up, but then he'd have to deal with Rin's upset response, not to mention Kagome's own reaction. The whole situation was enough to cause his eye to start twitching slightly.  
  
He returned his attention to Kagome when he realized that she had stopped speaking, and was watching him, her eyes wary. _She expects me to refuse_, he realized, slightly startled. With a smooth motion he got to his feet, and stood gazing down at her. With the barest inclination of his head, he said, "Very well," and left the room, sliding the door closed behind him.  
  
_Very well?? That's it?! _ Kagome wondered, gazing at the closed door. _Just what does THAT mean?!_ She wasn't left stewing with her questions for long. Sesshoumaru slid the door open and entered, a young male servant carrying a bundle behind him. He set the bundle down near Kagome's futon, smiled at her, before leaving the way he came. Bemused, Kagome opened up the bundle to discover her cleaned uniform. To her amazement, someone had even gone through the trouble of pressing the wrinkles out of the material, and mending a couple of tears she had been meaning to take care of. She glanced up at the imposing figure who towered over her, and croaked out a heartfelt "Thank you."  
  
"Have someone find me when you are ready to leave," he replied, turned, and left the room once again.  
  
Kagome gazed at the shut door, her cottony brain slowly realizing that yes, Sesshoumaru was going to take her home. Elation filled her and gave her weary body a bit of a boost, so that she was able to change out of her yukata and into her uniform without too much trouble. She winced a bit when she noticed that her ribs were starting to show just slightly. She hadn't been able to eat much more than a weak miso broth while she was here, and it was obvious that she had lost a lot of weight over the past three and a half days. _Ugh, I don't even want to know what the rest of me looks like, _she thought. No doubt her face had a clammy cast to it, while her cheeks were beacons of brilliant red due to the fever. _ I probably have bloodshot eyes and I'll bet my hair is a rat's nest. _She confirmed her suspicion when she pulled on her uniform's top and her fingers snagged on several knots, yanking hard enough on her scalp that tears sprang to her eyes. Oh damn.  
  
Tiredly, she sat back down on the futon and reached over for her bag. She rummaged through it for a few seconds before her hand closed over the handle of her wooden hair brush. Kagome triumphantly pulled it out of the dark depths of her oversized hiking pack, and set to work on getting the tangles and snarls out of her hair. The task, however, proved to be more daunting than she had originally thought. Her muscles were exhausted from the fever, and even the simple task of working through her hair from the tips up to her scalp was proving to be a little more than she could handle. Her hands were so weak that when the bristles got caught on a particularly large and difficult knot the handle was pulled from her grasp, leaving the brush hanging from her hair while her arm dropped limply to her side.  
  
Her temper flared, and she grabbed the handle of her brush in a death grip. She snarled, and began to yank heavily against the knot, tears of pain filling her eyes with every pull against her scalp. Finally, with an audible ripping sound, she hauled the brush through the knot, pulling out over a dozen strands in the process. With a half choked cry, she threw the brush at the opposite wall and dropped her hands to grip the material of her skirt with her fingers, glaring at nothing in particular while hot tears rolled down her cheeks and dripped off her chin. She _HATED _being sick, especially in a strange place with strange people and a care taker who, on normal days, would rather kill her than look at her. Why was it that she always seemed to have some run of bad luck every time she came through the well? It just wasn't fair, she wanted to be home in her bed with a hot bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup ™ and her mother nearby.   
  
She knew she was wallowing in self pity, and she was angry at herself for crying and being unable to stop, but another bad thing about being ill was that her emotions tended to run towards the pathetic, and no matter how much she mentally yelled at herself for giving into tears, she just couldn't stop them. She was so involved in her mental battle that she didn't hear the door slide open, and she failed to notice the tall figure who stood there, watching her.  
  
Sesshoumaru didn't quite know what to make of the weeping female, nor was he very experienced in dealing with one, human or otherwise. Usually whenever a female human cried in his presence, it was out of fear, and his response was to just turn and walk away, not wanting to see the filthy humans with their pathetic emotions. Yet the site of Kagome with tears running down her cheeks (and looking thoroughly disgusted and angry with herself over said tears) tugged at his heart strings in a way that was more disturbing than any tugs he had experienced in Rin's company. The strange sensation caused him to frown in annoyance, and he made a slight movement that finally caught Kagome's attention.  
  
"Great," she muttered, scrubbing furiously at her damp cheeks, noticing that he was once again dressed in his usual kimono and armor. "I thought you were going to wait until I sent someone."  
  
He raised a brow at her grumpy tone, before stepping fully into the room and glanced at the hairbrush that was resting innocently on the ground, dark strands of hair trailing from it's bristles. He bent down and picked it up, walked over to the futon and looked down at her. Apparently he had heard the sound of her brush striking the wall, and became curious. Her cheeks surged with more red color when she realized he had not only seen but heard her little temper tantrum, and she ducked her head, embarrassed.  
  
"Would it be too much trouble to ask one of your servants to help me brush my hair?" she whispered, keeping her eyes hidden by her bangs.  
  
"Yes," he replied, and her head jerked up. Her angry eyes widened and became confused when he moved around to behind her, but when she would have turned to face him he placed his hand on her shoulder, staying her. He then settled down cross legged behind her, and eyed her hair. "All of my servants are busy tending to other tasks, and I will not have them interrupted. Yurika has gone off in search of Jaken, Rin and Shippou to bring them back to the house before we leave. Now hold your hair with both of your hands."  
  
Startled, she did as she was told, reaching behind her and gathering her hair into a pony tail, holding as tightly as she could with both hands, knowing if she let go he would sneer at her for being so weak. Even though she knew her thoughts were unfounded, he knew she was ill and not at her normal strength, she couldn't help but feel challenged by this simple task he had given her, and she resolved not to release her hair unless told to, no matter what happened.  
  
Sesshoumaru allowed a small smile to escape his mask when the girl's fingers clamped around her hair. She was reacting the way he had wanted her to. This would make his self appointed task much easier, though he would never admit to manipulating her into helping him, or that he had needed her help in the first place. Instead he began to carefully work the bristles of the brush through the knots at the end of her hair, gradually working his way up towards her hands. It was slow going, her hair was such a tangled mess that he found his own scalp twitching a bit in sympathy, but the stiff bristles of the brush eventually made short work of the snarls.   
  
Sesshoumaru found himself marveling at the brush in his hands as he pulled it through her hair, directing her to move her hands and clasp specific areas now that the majority of the length had been smoothed out. The handle was wooden, but the bristles were made out of a stiff material that he didn't recognize. It was vastly different from the comb he was used to using on his own silvery blue locks, and he found himself curious about how it would feel running through his own hair.   
  
By this time he was finishing up on the knots nearest to Kagome's scalp, and he blinked in surprise when the girl's head dropped forward slightly, before leaning into the feel of the brush. Even though all the tangles had been worked out, he continued to run the brush through her ebony tresses, watching her reactions with interest. She was obviously enjoying the feel of the bristles running through her hair, and made no effort to hide her pleasure. His curiosity continued to grow with every stroke, until he decided that once he was finished he was going to use the brush on his own hair. He didn't notice when his fur ornament snaked out and touched Kagome's hand.  
  
Kagome had closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the brush smoothing through her hair when something furry touched her hand. Opening her eyes, she glanced down and saw that part of Fluffy was resting near her hand. As she watched, the tip reached over and brushed the back of her hand again. Curious, she asked, "Does Fluffy have a mind of its own?"  
  
"Do not call it Fluffy," he growled, not pausing in his ministrations as he glanced down at the low level youkai. "Yes, it does have a mind of its own, though for the most part it doesn't initiate anything on its own unless I am in danger."  
  
Kagome watched the fur brush over her hand again, then, "May I touch him?"  
  
Sesshoumaru didn't answer, so she took that as a yes. Tentatively, she reached out and placed her hand on the part of the fur that was closest to her, and blinked when she felt it move underneath her, pressing against her hand in a way similar to Buyo when he wanted attention. She hesitated a second, then stroked the silky fur, smiling when she felt Fluffy press into her hand again. She gave a hoarse giggle and scratched, which seemed to please the lower youkai greatly, for it pressed even harder into her hand.  
  
Sesshoumaru watched the antics with little expression on his face, and stroked the brush through Kagome's hair one more time before he stopped, checked to make sure Kagome was fully occupied, then gave an experimental run through his own hair. His scalp tingled from the sensation. It was a strange feeling, and one that he was coming to like more and more as he continued to run the brush through his hair, always keeping half an eye on his guest. Kagome was fully occupied with his fur, and didn't notice when he placed the brush behind him, sliding it just under the futon and keeping it from view.   
  
Standing, he gave a barely discernable snort of disgust when his fur lengthened itself in order to remain under Kagome's scratching fingers. For some strange reason he felt as if the lower youkai were betraying him. It never crossed his mind that he might have been feeling the _tiniest _slivers of jealousy as he watched Kagome's fingers work into the thick fur. He vaguely wondered what it would feel like to be scratched, but he quickly dismissed such thoughts as being below him.  
  
"Sesshoumaru?" she asked, returning her attention to him while continuing to absently scratch the lower youkai.  
  
He met her eyes, and taking that as permission to continue, she asked, "Would it be possible to find Inu Yasha and the others and tell them what happened and to not worry?" It never crossed her mind to suggest that the hanyou take her through the well instead of Sesshoumaru. She knew instinctly that Sesshoumaru would refuse. He considered her to be under his protection, and as such no one but he would see her to the other side of the well. Besides, she was still miffed over Inu Yasha's belligerent attitude regarding her idea during the New Moon.  
  
"Idiot," he said. "It would be a waste of time trying to hunt him down."  
  
Kagome agreed with a sigh, knowing that the longer they waited, the more severe her illness would become. Still, she hated not leaving word of some sort for her friends. She knew that they were probably tearing the countryside apart looking for her . . .or he could think that she had vanished on purpose to pay him back for his rather rude comments before she stomped off. Maybe . . .   
  
"Do you have a pen and some paper?" she asked suddenly. He stared at her, and she quickly revised her question. "Um, a brush and some parchment?"  
  
He looked at her for a few more moments, then gracefully stood and walked to the door. The fur stretched itself out so that it didn't have to leave Kagome's scratching fingers, and yet still remained attached to Sesshoumaru's shoulder. Kagome blinked and had to keep from giggling when she realized that, at the moment, Fluffy resembled a rather bizarre leash. She bit her lip and watched as Sesshoumaru talked quietly to someone on the other side of the door. It wasn't long before whoever it was returned and handed something to the youkai lord, and he turned and returned to the futon, some rolled parchment and writing instruments in his hand. Kagome noted that as he got closer to the futon, Fluffy's length retracted, and she was once again reminded strongly of a retractable dog leash.  
  
Sesshoumaru decided not to comment on the slight smile that was lifting Kagome's lips. He instinctly knew that whatever she was thinking would annoy him. He handed her the materials she had requested, then folded his legs and sat with his back against the wall, watching her intently. He wasn't surprised that she knew how to write despite the fact that it was rare for anyone who wasn't from a noble house to possess such a skill.   
  
He furrowed his brow as Kagome deftly dipping the tip of the bamboo brush into the ink she had made, before gracefully moving the bristles over the parchment. Perhaps males and females were educated equally in her time, if the story she had told him had been the truth. He had no reason to doubt her, but the fact that her body was still wracked with fever was enough to give him slight pause in believing her entirely. It wasn't uncommon for people to babble about hallucinations while in the grips of a high fever, but so far Kagome hadn't said a single word that didn't make sense. Even her stories regarding Inu Yasha and the others were clear and concise despite her eyes being foggy and remote.   
  
Kagome sighed and set her brush aside for a moment, folded the letter a few times, then wrote Inu Yasha's name on the back. She reached over and picked up the small ribbon that had been placed with the writing instruments, carefully tying it around the letter to keep it closed. She knew that eventually Inu Yasha would go to the well to look for her, and she intended to drop the letter off on the ground next to the wooden wall in hopes he would see it and read it before jumping through the well after her. The last thing she needed was for Inu Yasha to show up while Sesshoumaru was handing her over to her mother and start a fight. They would never be able to explain the resulting damages to the neighbors in a satisfactory way.  
  
As she completed her task, Kagome idly wondered what was taking Yurika so long to find Jaken and the kids. She tried to push the spurt of concern away by telling herself that they must have wandered farther from the house than they had anticipated. So she returned her attention to the silent youkai who had silently watched her every move, and furrowed her brow at the hint of puzzlement on his face.  
  
"What?" she croaked, wincing as she realized her voice was sounding worse.  
  
He waved an elegant hand towards the writing instruments, and asked, "Is writing considered to be a common skill from your time?"  
  
She nodded. "Almost everyone can read and write back home. There are places where people can't read or write very well, or at all, but the majority can. It's not common to get a good job if you can't read or write, especially now that the majority of businesses use computers for everyday use."  
  
"Computers?"  
  
Kagome sighed, knowing it would be difficult to explain the concept of a computer to him, especially since he didn't even know what a TV or type writer was, but she was interrupted by her door being flung open and Yurika rushing in. Instantly Sesshoumaru was on his feet, his eyes taking on a blank, almost frosty hue as he took in Yurika's frantic state.  
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" she gasped, her words disjointed as she struggled to catch her breath. "Jaken . . .the children . . .attacked . . .strange . . .non-youkai . . .to the west."  
  
Sesshoumaru paused just long enough to give Kagome a stern look that clearly said Stay here! before vanishing out the door in a blur. Yurika collapsed to her knees, still winded from her race through the forest. Worried, Kagome searched around her immediate area and quickly located a bowl of water she had set aside when Sesshoumaru had entered her room. Grasping the wooden bowl, she shakily made her way over to the exhausted kitsune, and held the bowl out to her. Yurika took it from her and gratefully downed the contents, her breath gradually slowing to a more normal pace.  
  
"What happened?" Kagome asked, her stomach knotting in a way that had nothing go do with her illness.  
  
Yurika took a steadying breath, and said, "I had just found Jaken and the children when this . . .thing appeared. I have never seen anything like it, it looked like a combination of some bizarre plant and an eight headed dragon. They tried to run, but it attacked before they could take three steps. Jaken turned to fight it, and I grabbed the kids and tried to run, but it reached out with this . .vine like appendage and knocked me to the ground, ripping Rin and Shippou from my arms. Jaken turned and went after them, yelling at me to get Sesshoumaru-sama."  
  
Kagome didn't like the uneasy feeling in her stomach one bit. Slipping the letter into a pocket on her back pack, she asked Yurika if there were any bows and arrows on the premises. The kitsune healer said that there were, and she sent a servant to go grab a quiver and bow at Kagome's request. The girl carefully got to her feet, grabbed one of her back pack's straps, and proceeded to drag it towards the door. Horrified, Yurika grabbed the other strap and halted Kagome's weak progress.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"I'm going to help him! Shippou and Rin are my friends, I can't sit here and do nothing!" Kagome protested, giving a weak tug on her strap.  
  
"In your condition, you'll be more of a hindrance than a help," Yurika said harshly, and Kagome sagged, knowing she was right and hating the helpless feeling that washed over her. When the servant returned with the requested bow and quiver, she released the back pack and instructed for it to be placed just outside the front entrance. She slung the quiver on her back and grasped the bow, turning when Yurika protested again.  
  
"I'm not going after him," she reassured the healer. "You're right, I would be more hindrance than a help. But I can at least be waiting for them in front of the mansion so that all he'd need to do is pick me up and take me where I need to go to get well."  
  
It was obvious Yurika wanted to disagree, but the common sense of Kagome's statement won out, and the kitsune leant her shoulder to the weakened girl and helped her outside of the mansion. With a sigh Kagome sat on the grass and leaned her back against her bag, while Yurika settled down next to her to keep an eye on her sick charge. Kagome hoped, no, she prayed that Sesshoumaru would save the children. Something about the whole situation just felt wrong to her, and it all circled back to the comment Yurika made about the attacker not being a youkai.  
  
******  
  
The forest blurred by as Sesshoumaru raced through the trees at an incredible speed. His passing was only discernible by the rustling of the leaves from the underbrush he passed by, and by the time the sound reached anything's ears he was long past. His thoughts raced as quickly as his steps, constantly coming back to the same question. If the attacker was the same strange presence he had felt in the forest earlier, why was he unable to sense it now? The thought of Rin being in danger made his blood run cold, and he opened all of his senses to the forest around him in an effort to locate his young charge quicker.  
  
He was rewarded by the faint sound of dark laughter followed by two young voices raised in pain. Having pinpointed their location, he unsheathed Toukijin and raced in their direction. In mere seconds he reached the edge of a large meadow, and he paused long enough to take in the situation. Jaken was crumbled in a heap near a tree, but he was breathing so Sesshoumaru didn't give him more than a glance. Several tall, darkly colored pillar type objects rose from the ground in the center of the meadow, and next to the strange structure was a creature he had never seen before. It resembled an eight headed dragon, but it's body looked like it was composed of several plants that had fused together. The heads were lifted above the strange pillars, and surrounding the structure were several hundred vine like appendages. Rin and Shippou were hanging in the middle of the pillar circle, one of the vines wrapped snugly around them. Shippou had his arms wrapped around Rin and was yelling at the monster to let them go, but the strange being had other ideas and laughed.  
  
"At last!" a deep, booming voice cried, triumph ringing from its every word. "With the death of the Kushinada of the past, the future shall belong to the Aragami!"  
  
Rin screamed in pain as the vine began to tighten around her and the kit, and Shippou frantically tried to gather some kitsune-bi in hopes to burn them free from the creatures grasp, but in mere seconds he was unable to move at all. He tried to puff out his body to allow Rin some room to breath, but even he was starting to feel the force that was slowly crushing them to death.  
  
Sesshoumaru moved, racing towards the structure and swinging Toukijin in a wide arc. The sword's cutting force hit the area, turning the very air into a weapon. Several of the creatures vines were cut, releasing a spurt of dark green blood as the creature howled in pain. Racing forward, Sesshoumaru sliced the vine that was binding the kids, his fur wrapping around them and removing them from the structure as he bound past. He whirled to face the creature again, his fur releasing its hold on Rin and Shippou, and without pausing to look over his shoulder, he commanded them to run. Not taking time to see if his order was followed, he leapt towards the creature again. He was a bit disoriented, half of his attention was on the creature, this Aragami, but the other half was trying to figure out why he was still unable to get a sense of what he was up against. He dodged the vines that were sent hurling his way, cutting through them in an effort to get to one of the heads. As the combatants danced around the dark pillars, Sesshoumaru finally got a grasp of why he had been unable to sense the Aragami earlier. The strange pillars had been concealing its presence, and as long as it had kept the pillars between them, he had been unable to sense where it was going to strike next.  
  
With a smirk, Sesshoumaru leapt into the air, aiming for the head closest to him, poison pooling on his hand and dripping off the hilt of Toukijin. Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he turned to see Shippou flinging himself and Rin out of the way of another vine as it tried to grab them. Sesshoumaru never noticed one of the vines, now resembling a long green spear, racing towards his back. He stiffened as the weapon slammed into him, piercing through his side in a bloody spray before using its anchor hold to fling his body to the side. He impacted with one of the larger oaks, his body smashing through the trunk with such force the tree exploded in a shower of splinters and bark.   
  
Breathing deeply to control the pain, he got to his feet and quickly assessed his injuries. Blood flowed freely from the puncture wound in his side, and his back would be covered in bruises. But compared to the damage he had taken from the Tetsusaiga's Cutting Wind attack, these wounds were paltry and easily dealt with. By this time the Aragami had turned its attention from him. Apparently it figured that the injuries it had caused were enough to either kill him, Sesshoumaru, or wound him to where he would be unable to fight. Sesshoumaru smirked. It was not smart to underestimate your enemy, and that's exactly what this Aragami had done.  
  
Sesshoumaru readied his grip on Toukijin, and prepared to dart towards the base of the head that was closest to him. He began to move towards his target, then halted, his eyes barely widening when he saw the tableaux that was taking place on the other side of the meadow.  
  
One of the giant heads had stretched out behind the frightened kids, effectively blocking off any chance of them running to the forest. In front of them was the black pillars, and behind it was another one of the monstrous heads. The other six heads were lifted above the pillars, the Aragami's eyes focused completely on the children. Shippou was standing in front of Rin, his arms spread out as he sought to protect the little girl by any means possible.  
  
_Shit_, Sesshoumaru swore. He had to get the kids out of the area, there was no feasible way for him to defeat the Aragimi and keep Rin and Shippou safe. And from the look of it, the Aragamie was targeting one or both of them, and while he, Sesshoumaru, fought one or more of the heads, the unoccupied ones would zero in, drag the children back into the center of the pillars and kill them. _SHIT_.  
  
Sesshoumaru ground his teeth in frustration. The desire to kill his adversary, to sink his claws deep into its flesh was so strong that he could already feel the warmth of the strange green blood splattering him as he ripped his foe apart. But another desire was making itself known; one that was new and very unwelcome considering the circumstances. It was the desire to protect the two innocent lives (three if he counted Kagome, but he wasn't counting and she wasn't here, so she didn't matter) that were, even now, staring death in the face.  
  
With a snarl, he sheathed Toukijin and released the hilt, concentrating on preventing his poison glands from reacting to the surge of adrenaline in his blood. He waited, tense, watching as the Aragami steadily forced Rin and Shippou back towards the pillars. Shippou faltered briefly, and Sesshoumaru moved, leaving a small trail of his own blood behind.  
  
Reaching the main mass that was the Aragami's body, he reached out and allowed his claws to bite deep into the creature's flesh, smiling slightly at the resulting roar of pain and spray of green blood. He was moving before a drop of the substance could get on his clothing, leaping onto the back of the creature and gouging out another strip of flesh, darting off before it could grab him with one of its vines. He continued to dodge the spear like appendages, never taking his eyes off of his goal.   
  
Both Rin and Shippou could see him coming, and Shippou had grabbed Rin in an effort to both protect her from the thrashing Aragami and keep her from running towards Sesshoumaru. The little girl's eyes were fixed on the approaching youkai, and she appeared to be completely oblivious to the danger surrounding her.  
  
Sesshoumaru made a final leap, and raced by the children, wrapping them with his fur as he darted past in order to keep his claws free to attack. Once the kids were secure he leaped into the air and formed a cloud of youki, moving swiftly from the still roaring Aragami.   
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin squeaked, and sensing danger, he dodged to the side, just barely missing being impaled by more of the spear like vines. He glances swiftly behind him, and a small shock went through his system. He, Sesshoumaru, had underestimated his opponent. Despite the fact that its size suggested otherwise, the creature could fly, and was closing in on his charges and him rapidly.  
  
"KUSHINADAAAAAAAAAA!" the Aragami bellowed, sending out more of its vines in an attempt to both spear Sesshoumaru and rip his charge from his grasp.   
  
Snarling, Sesshoumaru dodged the projectiles, but one stray spear slammed through his left shoulder before he sliced the vine in half, green and red blood spraying in a macabre fountain of color. Ignoring both the pain from the blow and Rin and Shippou's startled, frightened cries, he dove towards the ground, knowing that the density of the forest would at least slow down the Aragami's progress and provide them some shelter from the creature's long reach.  
  
He hit the ground moving, nerves on fire from the pain in his shoulder and side, but his mind remained clear and cold. He bared his fangs as he ran, hearing the faint sounds of the brush crackling as the Aragami chased after them. Everything in his being was screaming for him to turn and face his opponent, to not run like a coward. But he knew that if he hadn't removed Rin and Shippou from the battle, he would have never been able to fight to his full ability, and that knowledge grated more than his running away did. He was Sesshoumaru, Youkai Lord of the Western Lands, eldest son of the great Inutaishou. Nothing should be able to distract him in the middle of a battle, but somehow this human child and her kit companion had managed to do just that. Sesshoumaru snorted in disgust at himself. He needed to make some changes before this trend continued to lead him down a spiral that he wouldn't be able to return from.  
  
A soft scent caught his attention, pulling his thoughts away from their darkening path, and he lifted his head and took a deep breath, never breaking his stride. He was approaching the safe house, and he knew he was smelling Kagome, for even when tainted with illness she had a very distinct scent about her. The fact that her scent was coming to him so strongly told him that she was outside of the safe house, most likely sitting on the ground waiting for him to return so that they could leave immediately. The knowledge caused him to smile slightly despite the puzzle that was this sudden surge of danger surrounding his ward. He had predicted her reaction to his command to stay put perfectly. Kagome had a rebellious streak in her a mile wide, and from what she had told him in her fevered ramblings, she didn't take orders very well, especially when danger was involved. Most likely she had tried to come after him in an effort to help fight (he snorted at that thought) but common sense had prevailed and so she had settled down to wait for his return in a strategic position that allowed for no time lost in getting her to the well by entering the safe house after her.   
  
It would be a simple run and grab, though she was going to have to do most of the hanging on since the other half of his fur would be occupied with that overgrown bag. He had wanted to leave it behind, but she had insisted, quite vehemently, that she was taking it with her. According to her, it contained all her school books and homework. Thinking at the time that the kids would be staying in the safe house while he returned Kagome to her home, he had agreed. Now he cursed that decision and the girl that had originated it, despite the fact that it wasn't Kagome's fault the Aragami had attacked. He just knew she was going to cause him even more trouble than what she already had.  
  
******  
  
Kagome sneezed and rubbed her nose, then gave into another fit of coughing. She sighed and glanced up at the nearly cloudless sky, her thoughts whirling around in her head. Once again she cursed being sick. She didn't like waiting, wondering, worrying, and she especially hated the weak, helpless feeling that assaulted her when she remembered the panicked look on Yurika's face when she bolted into her room. She knew that, at the moment, she was virtually useless, but her stubborn nature and her pride chafed at the knowledge. She wanted to _DO _something, to help, but this weakness kept her still and frustrated.  
  
Yurika tensed and lifted her head, testing the wind. "Sesshoumaru-sama's coming," she said, frowning while reading the news the wind brought to her.  
  
Instantly Kagome sat up straighter and glanced over at the healer. Coughing prevented her from asking the question that was on her mind, but it didn't prevent her from picking up on the worry in Yurika's voice.  
  
"He has Shippou and Rin with him," she paused for a few more moments to read the air, and she paled. "And they're being chased by that monster that I saw attacking them in the first place."  
  
The kitsune got to her feet, and looked down at Kagome. "I must retreat back into the safe house to help protect it from being discovered. Judging by the way Sesshoumaru-sama's scent is rapidly increasing, he's heading in this direction at full speed. He will most likely grab you on his way by, so you shouldn't move from that spot. Good luck, Kagome." With that, the kitsune vanished from Kagome's line of sight.  
  
_Great_, Kagome thought sourly. _I'm supposed to sit out here like some virgin sacrifice just waiting for either Sesshoumaru to come by and snatch me up, or this unknown monster to decide I'd make a good lunch. Lord, that sounds like a plot for a shoujo manga series. At least I know he got the kids safely._  
  
Kagome's thoughts were brought to a halt rather suddenly when a clawed hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her off the ground. She was pressed up against someone's side, her legs and arms dangling down from the hold on her waist, and she had a brief mental picture of being carried like a sack of potatoes. She glanced up and caught an upside down glimpse of Sesshoumaru's tense features. The muscles in his jaws were taught, and his eyes were narrowed in concentration. She looked to the side and had to close her eyes against a sudden surge of motion sickness. Inu Yasha was fast, but his speed was nothing compared to his brother's. The trees were nothing but a blur of brown and green, with the occasional burst of color from a blooming bush.  
  
Kagome's eyes popped open when she felt a warm wetness touch her side, and she glanced over and saw a spreading stain of brilliant red creep over Sesshoumaru's kimono. The wetness she felt was his blood seeping into her uniform.  
  
"You're bleeding!" she croaked, hoping to be heard, but fearing the wind had taken her words away.  
  
He glanced down at her briefly before returning his gaze to the front, but that glance said what he didn't take the time to voice. He, the great Sesshoumaru, was not concerned with his wounds, and would she please stop stating the obvious?  
  
Kagome snorted and would have given him a piece of her mind (had she been able to muster up enough of a voice to do so, and been able to complete the commentary without a single cough) but something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, and bracing for possible nausea, she glanced to the side and stared. What looked like several green stripes against the brown back drop were sliding by at a pace nearly equal to Sesshoumaru's own.   
  
Sesshoumaru noticed them too, and he cursed rather violently, reinventing a few words in his mental tirade. He was weaponless, his one arm holding tightly to Kagome, while the other half of his fur was occupied with hanging onto her oversized pack. He couldn't drop Kagome at his current speed, the risk of injury was highly probable because she was a human and ill. He would just have to dodge and pour on more speed, though from the sense of things the main body of the Aragami was far behind him. But he hadn't been aware that it could stretch out any part of its body this far, so chances were that even if he dodged, the spear like vines would still find their target.  
  
Kagome felt Sesshoumaru tense. He suddenly darted left in a move that sent her head snapping to one side, and caused Rin and Shippou to cry out in surprise. The move was ineffectual, because the green stripes simply moved with the youkai, and Kagome didn't have to rely on any extra sense to know that they posed a danger to them all.  
  
The vines curved and raced towards their targets, the sharpened points almost appearing to gleam in the dappled sunlight. Sesshoumaru skidded to a halt and prepared to drop Kagome so he could reach Toukijin, but the vines were faster and were upon him before the plan could fully form.  
  
"NO!" Kagome screeched, the word filled with fear and anger and sounding more like a harsh whisper than a yell, but it was no less powerful for its lack of volume. She threw out both of her hands in a futile effort to ward off the green death that raced towards them.  
  
Suddenly, her entire body appeared to glow, the light marching down her arms and centering in the palms of her outstretched hands. Sesshoumaru again felt that tingling, burning sensation, and then his gut jerked when a blast of raw spiritual power burst from the girl's outstretched palms, impacting the oncoming vine spears and disintegrating them instantly. Far behind he could hear the Aragami's roar of anguish as what was left of the green vines turned brown, the sickly color racing down the outstretched appendages, heading towards their host.   
  
Sesshoumaru didn't wait for his stomach to stop churning from being in close proximity to such strong, untapped spiritual energy; he began to race through the forest once again, sparing a glance at the young girl who was staring at her hands in bewilderment. Seeming to feel his speculative gaze upon her, she turned her eyes up and met his own. He read shock and confusion in her frank stare, and he vaguely wondered why someone with as much strength as she possessed had never been formally trained in the miko arts. Perhaps the place where she came from no longer believed in a miko's powers and had abandoned the training.  
  
Kagome tried to crane her neck around in an effort to see Shippou and Rin, but gave up after a few moments. She knew that they were with them, but fear was most likely keeping them silent. Frowning, she did a mental count and came up one short.  
  
"What about Jaken?" she asked hoarsely.  
  
For a moment Sesshoumaru was silent, but figuring that Kagome had bought them some time with her spiritual attack, he answered. "He was unconscious, but he's a youkai."   
  
_And that_, Kagome thought, _Explains everything.  
_  
They continued their breakneck speed through the forest, Sesshoumaru refusing to let up in his pace despite the sense that the Aragami had retreated to lick its wounds. Kagome looked like she was starting to suffer from his uncomfortable hold on her, and he knew being held in this position was irritating her illness. He was also vaguely concerned with the fact that his wounds hadn't healed over yet. There was no poison coursing through his system, and he of all youkai would have been able to recognize if any poison had entered his body. So why were his wounds still open?  
  
"There," Kagome suddenly called, pointing to a break in the woods. Between the thinning trees Sesshoumaru could see an old wooden well sitting innocently in a meadow ahead of them. He bared his teeth. The smell of his half-brother was exceptionally strong in this area, a fact that he didn't like at all. He slowed, caution telling him to approach the well slowly, making sure that his brother wasn't around to attack first and ask questions later.  
  
As Sesshoumaru slowed to a gentler pace, Kagome looked around and saw that Fluffy was wrapped around her pack's straps, holding it close to her. Reaching into the front pocket, she extracted the letter she had written to Inu Yasha, and held it in her hand. She prayed that when she released the letter that it would land outside of the well instead of in it, and that Inu Yasha and the others would find it before it got rained on.  
  
Assured that the meadow was clear of demon hunters, monks, and bastard little brothers, Sesshoumaru emerged from the trees and made his way to the well. For a moment he stood looking down into its depths, his brow furrowing as doubt set in. If the girl wasn't telling the truth, or had been truly delirious when telling him of the well, then he was about to do something that could prove quite embarrassing, and the great Sesshoumaru did not like being embarrassed.  
  
"Just jump in," Kagome urged, dropping the letter so that it landed, name side up, on the ground next to one of the wooden walls.  
  
"What are we doing here, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin asked, speaking for the first time since he had grabbed Kagome outside of the safe house.  
  
"Going to my house," Kagome croaked, shifting a little in Sesshoumaru's hold, bringing his attention back to just how uncomfortable his hold was.  
  
With a barely audible sigh, he gently tilted Kagome until her feet touched the ground and she was standing upright, but he didn't remove his arm from around her waist. Grateful, Kagome took a deep breath and promptly gave way to yet another coughing fit. When the shudder's subsided, Sesshoumaru checked to make sure that his fur youkai was securely wrapped around both the kids and Kagome's bag, tightened his hold around her waist, and lifted into the air, gently stepped over the wall, and dropped down into the waiting darkness.  
  
Kagome sighed wearily as she felt the ancient magic that transported her from one time to the other wrap around her like an old, well loved blanket. She was going home, and granted she wished it was under better circumstances, but any chance to spend time with her family was eagerly grabbed. She just wondered what her family would think of Sesshoumaru and the rest of her "guests". Her final thought, more of a prayer, before the magic did its work and sent her back to her time, was,_ Please let Inu Yasha understand. Please don't let him come through after me, I don't think the shrine could stand the battle that would follow when he found Sesshoumaru there._  
  
******  
  
"MOMIJI!" Kusanagi yelled, catching the young Kushinada as her words were cut off mid tirade and she seemed to crumple in on herself. Up till now everything had been normal. A walk through the city, Momiji yelling at him for some perverted comment or other, and then her voice had cut off midword.  
  
He frowned when his panicked cry refused to garner a response, and his face became downright thunderous when Momiji's mitama began to pulse in time to a rhythm only it knew. He couldn't sense any Aragami around, and he quickly hurried into an alley to prevent too many stares that a glowing chest would attract. Kusanagi continued to call to Momiji as he moved into the shadows, but still didn't get a response.  
  
He began to shake her lightly when he noticed something that caused his blood to turn to ice in his veins. Worry turned to fear when he noticed that he could see his forearms quite clearly through Momiji's unconscious body. She appeared to be vanishing right in front of his eyes, and he was quickly reminded of what Matsudaira had told him when he'd cornered her in the TAC building the other day and demanded an explanation without a single scientific word attached to it. Only this time the gradual vanishing of Momiji's body seemed to be worse than what Matsu described to him. Now he could only make out a faint outline of where her body was, and he was beginning to feel like he was holding a specter instead of a living human.  
  
Momiji's form suddenly solidified so fast that they were both dragged to the ground as her weight returned full force. Kusanagi managed to twist so that he landed on his back and Momiji on top of him, and for a moment he relished in the feeling of her heart beating, albeit a bit fast, against his chest. He felt her lungs fill with air, and the knowledge that she was breathing filled him with relief. He kept his arms wrapped around her, and watched her face, waiting for when she would open her eyes. Only then would he be satisfied that she was truly all right.  
  
Momiji stirred, her nerves feeling as if they'd been stripped bare and dipped in acid. Every sensation sent a burning pain across her skin, and she wondered why this time her heart hadn't simply burst into flames. She wanted to open her eyes, but her lids felt like Koume's bazookas were attached to them. After a struggle, she managed to open them and gazed fuzzily around at her surroundings. Blinking a few times, she managed to bring everything into focus, and became aware of a pair of very warm arms wrapped around her. She glanced down and found herself meeting Kusanagi's worried gaze.  
  
"Are you all right?" he asked, tension giving his voice a rougher edge than usual. Swallowing Momiji nodded slightly.  
  
"What happened?" she asked, surprised when her voice sounded normal instead of the rough croak she had expected.  
  
"I don't know," Kusanagi said, carefully shifting so that he could sit up, Momiji cradled momentarily on his lap. "But I'm taking you back to TAC headquarters."  
  
"I'm all right now," Momiji insisted, then squeaked when Kusanagi stood with her in his arms. He glared down at her.  
  
"I don't like feeling the way I just did a few moments ago, Momiji," he said gruffly. "Matsudaira needs to know what happened, and she's going to want to run some tests."  
  
"But she's already run tests on me," Momiji protested as Kusanagi leapt to the top of the buildings and began to make his way back towards the building everyone called Home Base.  
  
"I could barely see you!" Kusanagi burst out, his face tightening at the remembered feeling of her body vanishing from his arms. "You were more like a ghost than a person, and if going by what Matsu told me about the last time is any indication, this time was a hundred times worse than before!"  
  
Momiji opened her mouth, then the full realization of what Kusanagi said slammed home. She had nearly vanished, poof, gone in midair, and no one would have really known what had happened. If that movie Matsu had quoted was any indication, she would have ceased to exist all together, and no one would have known that she had even lived. The thought caused a cold chill to run through her body, and unconsciously she turned her head into Kusanagi's warm shoulder in search of comfort.  
  
Within moments the pair were in front of the TAC headquarters, and Kusanagi wasted no time. He barreled through the doors and had bounded up the stairs before Momiji could even open her mouth to protest. She took one glance at his face and all thoughts of protest flew from her mind. Kusanagi's face was set in harsh lines, his tension clearly visible for all to see. Though she didn't like what had happened to cause such a display of concern on Kusanagi's face, Momiji couldn't help but feel a small spurt of warmth at this evidence that he at least cared a little about her, though that spurt of warmth quickly vanished when he burst into the TAC's main office with her still clutched in his arms. This, of course, quickly led to mass panic among her fellow coworkers as she was whisked away to the examining room by a pale faced Masudaira, leaving Kusanagi behind to answer the questions the rest of the staff threw at him.  
  
At that point, Momiji began imagining burying Kusanagi alive, but with her luck, and since he was technically made up of plant matter, he'd simply sprout more of himself, which would serve to drive her into the Looney bin. She understood and accepted the fact that her coworkers worried about her; Hell, she was even flattered at times, but there was always the little voice in the back of her mind telling her that the only reason they were so concerned was because she had to remain in good health so that she could save Japan, and, by association, the world, with her death. _Talk about irony_, Momiji thought sarcastically.  
  
Matsudaira sighed, bringing Momiji's attention back to her as the older woman rubbed the back of her head and peered at one of the many computer readings. She muttered a few words of scientific jargon before reaching out and adjusting one of the many dials that currently surrounded Momiji. A few seconds later she readjusted the dials again.  
  
"Is something wrong?" Momiji asked, resisting the urge to scratch at one of the electrodes that was attatched to her body.  
  
"No, I just wanted to make sure that the settings were the same as the last time we measured these particular wave lengths. From what Kusanagi-san said, it sounds like this latest episode was much worse than the last time. Can you tell me what happened on your end?"  
  
Momiji thought for a moment, took a breath, and told Matsu what had happened. She left out the fact that she had been yelling at Kusanagi because he had pulled up her skirt, again, but she didn't leave out anything else. She told Matsu about the overwhelming pain, her own confusion, and lastly, the vision she had had shortly before blacking out. She hadn't had a chance to tell Kusanagi what she had seen, and she was surprised how many details she remembered. As her vision was graying out, she had seen a small girl in her mind's eye as clear as if she had been standing in front of her. The dark haired, wide-eyed child had been clutched in the vine like appendages of an Aragami Momiji recognized as Yamata-no-Orochi, the first Aragami to attack her shortly after she had first met Kusanagi. She knew there was some significant about the child, and she had wanted to reach out and snatch her from the Aragami's grasp, but the vision faded with the rest of her sight, leaving her more than a little confused when she had managed to open her eyes and find herself looking into Kusanagi's concerned face.  
  
Matsu remained silent through the retelling, absorbing what Momiji was saying while absently checking the readings on the computers. She shook her head in response to Momiji's asking if she knew what the vision meant. Momiji was silent for a moment, then she said, "I've never had visions before, Matsudaira-san. Why did I have one now?"  
  
"Momiji-chan, you're a direct descendent of a strong line of psychics," Matsu answered, frowning a little at a reading that had started to change ever so slightly. "You were trained in the miko arts, and even though you've never had a formal vision of this type, I'm sure there have been times when you've had an inkling of one."  
  
Momiji thought back and had to agree with what the scientist said. She distinctly remembered a strange chilly feeling running down her spine in the early morning of the day she had first met Kusanagi and become aware of the existence of the Aragami. Her grandmother had said her feelings had stemmed from her blood, and though at the time she didn't know what she had meant, now she fully understood her grandmother's words.  
  
"Well," Matsu sighed, bringing Momiji's attention back to her. "I can't see anything abnormal in your readings. Heart rate, brain wave pattern, everything looks just fine. The Kushinada Pulse is a little erratic, but that tends to be normal. Which makes these strange happenings all the more troubling. There is absolutely nothing here that can explain what's going on logically."  
  
Momiji thought that there was a lot that involved the Kushinada and Aragami that couldn't be explained logically, but she wasn't about to mention it when Matsudaira looked so disgruntled about the whole affair. She knew the scientist was concerned about her well being, and she felt a quick spurt of remorse that she was the cause of Matsu's worry. She opened her mouth to apologize, but what emerged was a harsh gasp as her hands flew up to clutch her chest and a familiar white light began to pulse from the Mitama embedded just beneath her finger tips.   
  
"Momiji-chan!" Matsu cried, reaching out to touch the girl when a harsh, insistent beeping filled the air. The scientist instinctly turned to the source of the noise, and her eyes bugged slightly when she saw that the instrument that measured the Kushinada pulse, a strange wave pattern that only two people, Kaede and Momiji, emitted, was screeching out the harsh alarm, while the monitor was displaying a bizarre wave pattern. For a few moments the Pulse seemed to be beating so fast that the entire screen had turned green, and then it would slow down into a more recognizable pattern before speeding up again.  
  
"Momiji-chan," she began as she turned towards the young girl, only to stop in mid-sentence. Momiji had slumped forward slightly with her hands pressed against the pulsing mitama. Her eyes were wide and staring, their vibrant green color appearing washed out and gray. Matsu felt a chill go down her spine. The last time Momiji had looked like that had been shortly before Susano-Oh's birth, and the unborn Aragami god's power had called to Momiji, drawing her to his resting place.  
  
"We must," Momiji began, then paused as if she were listening to someone or something that only she could hear. "We must protect the Kushinada of the past."  
  
"We must what?" Matsu asked, staring at the younger Kushinada.  
  
"The safety of the past is necessary to insure the future. The Kushinada of the past is in danger."  
  
Before Matsudaira could ask any questions, the light that had surrounded Momiji faded as the color returned to her eyes. She blinked a few times, then sat up and regarded Matsudaira curiously.  
  
"What was that?" Momiji asked.  
  
Before Matsu could even begin to form an answer, the machine measuring the Kushinada Pulse began to once again give off a harsh beeping alarm as the psychic pulses once again began behaving erratically. Momiji's eyes grew impossibly wide as her body was once again surrounded by light, but instead of the pure white that was usually emitted from her mitama, this light was a bright red in color that held steady instead of pulsing with her heartbeat. A strange, haunting melody filled the air, the notes appearing to come from Momiji's very soul. The song lasted for a few more moments before the light flickered faintly, then vanished. Momiji leaned forward and grasped her racing heart, only now noticing that her body felt extremely tired as sweat began to roll down her face and drip off her chin.  
  
"Momiji-chan," Matsudaira's worried voice brought Momiji's head up, and her eyes met those of the scientist.  
  
"I'm all right," Momiji said, glad to find that her voice was under control. "Just feeling a little tired."  
  
Matsudaira nodded and handed Momiji a paper towel for her face, before turning to check all the monitors once again. Momiji gratefully wiped the sweat off of her face and took several long, deep breaths, relieved to find that her heart was beginning to slow down to a more normal pace.  
  
"Everything appears to be normal now," Matsu said as she gazed at the blips and patterns of the monitor's still hooked up to Momiji. "The Kushinada Pulse has regained its normal, gentle wave pattern, but your energy levels are a tad low. I'm glad to see your heart rate is steadily declining back to its normal pace."  
  
Recognizing that Matsu's constant commentary about her wavelengths getting back to normal was as much to convince herself instead of Momiji that the young girl was, indeed, back to normal, the young Kushinada held her peace until the scientist had finished checking all the other equipment and finally removed the electrodes from Momiji's chest. Only then did Momiji voice the question that was sitting forefront in her mind.  
  
"What did I say earlier, Matsudaira-san?" she asked as she hopped off the examining table.  
  
"You said something about having to save the Kushinada of the past in order to protect the future," Matsu answered, turning to give the young girl her full attention.  
  
Momiji blinked. "What does that mean?" she asked, confusion on her face.  
  
Matsu lifted her hand and rested her chin in her palm, assuming her "thoughtful" pose, as Momiji and the other TAC members liked to call it. She was silent for a moment, her face revealing nothing of her inner thoughts, and Momiji had to fight the urge to squirm impatiently.  
  
"Well, if we're going to keep comparing this to that old American movie, then I would say that something, or someone, is interfering with the past. More specifically, they're going after one of your ancestors in an attempt to cause the Kushinada line to die out."  
  
"Yamata-no-Orochi?" Momiji asked.  
  
"Maybe, but that doesn't explain how he was awakened before your and Kaede-chan's birth, nor how he intends to actually kill off your ancestor without causing the Aragami's own deaths in the process."  
  
"But wouldn't that involve time travel?" Momiji asked, her brow furrowing as she tried to think past a headache that was beginning to build behind her eyes.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I don't understand, who's ever heard of anyone being able to time travel?"  
  
Matsudaira gave Momiji an amused look. "Who ever heard of plants becoming giant monsters bent on creating their own kingdom?"  
  
"Good point," Momiji said, looking a tad sheepish.  
  
"This is a bit of a stretch," Matsu said, her expression turning thoughtful once again, "But I wonder if it's possible that this so called time traveler has brought your ancestor to this time."  
  
"Why do you wonder that?" Momiji asked.  
  
"That red light and the melody we heard for a brief moment was very different from your usual reaction whenever an Aragami is near," Matsudair said, glancing at Momiji's mitama. "It's just a theory, and we certainly can't ask Kaede-chan if she experienced a similar reaction, but it does make some sense that you would react in some way if another Kushinada aside from Kaede-chan was to appear."  
  
Matsudaira's brow furrowed, and then she abruptly turned and left the examining room. Momiji blinked at the empty space for a moment, before she hurried out the door and back into the small room that had been designated her dressing room whenever Matsu wanted to check up on her vital statistics. A few moments later she was dressed and went in search of the scientist. She didn't have far to go. Matsudaira was standing with Koume next to Yaegashi's computer, giving the young man instructions. Momiji wandered up just as Matsu was saying, "Don't limit it to just this area, I want the entire country checked."  
  
"Checked for what?" Momiji asked, drawing all eyes to her.  
  
"Matsudaira-san wants me to run a check on any mysterious disappearances or absences that have been recorded over a period of time," Yaegashi said, looking none too pleased about this prospect. "And she doesn't want it limited to just Tokyo, she wants me to check the entire nation."  
  
"You can ignore kidnappings or missing persons reports, I don't think the person I'm looking for would be listed as such. If my theory is correct, then they should be able to go to and fro without any problems, especially if they did bring another person back with them," Matsu said encouragingly. "What I need you to focus on are absences such as school or work, anything that just doesn't fit properly."  
  
"You do realize this could take several weeks," Yaegashi groaned.  
  
"Aww, come on, Yaegashi!" Koume said, half encouragingly, half in exasperation, slapping the young man on the back so hard that his face nearly crashed into his computer monitor. "It's a challenge, and no man should back down from a challenge! You need to charge in there head first and blow all the obstacles out of your way!"   
  
"I think you need to rethink your way of doing things," Yaegashi muttered under his breath, but Koume caught some of what he said.  
  
"What was that?!" she demanded, grabbing him in a headlock.  
  
"Ow! Ow, Koume-chan, lemme go!"  
  
Deciding that a hasty retreat was in order, Momiji quickly excused herself from the group and hurried down the hallway. Her head was really beginning to hurt, and despite all the upheaval the Aragami and this new problem was causing, she still had a lot of homework to complete before the next school day. She was so deep in her thoughts that she nearly became a permanent fixture of the ceiling when a hand descended on her shoulder and pulled her around. She blindly struck out with her hand, and felt a spurt of satisfaction at the crack of flesh on flesh followed by a yelp of pain. That satisfaction quickly withered when she found herself gazing at Kusanagi, who was holding his nose and glaring at her.  
  
"Damnit, Momiji," the cat eyed young man growled as he gingerly felt his sore nose.  
  
"I'm sorry!" Momiji said. "But you really should give me more warning before you do something like that."  
  
"I'll remember that," Kusanagi said, sniffing a little before taking his hand away from his throbbing nose. "What did Matsudaira say?"  
  
Momiji gave him a quick run down of what had happened during the examination, ending with Matsu's theory of someone who was able to time travel bringing one of the Kushinada ancestors to the present. Kusanagi kept quiet through her explanation, his face thoughtful while his eyes seemed to gaze at something just past Momiji's shoulder. As she reached the end of her recitation, Momiji couldn't help but think that Kusanagi was wishing that Kaede was there instead of herself.   
  
Kusanagi remained silent after she finished talking, and since he now appeared oblivious to her presence, she gave a shrug and began to walk back down the hallway. She hadn't gone more than a few steps before Kusanagi came up alongside her. Momiji felt a sudden spurt of irritation (_first he ignores her and now he's decided to follow her?_) and before she could get the emotion back under control, she acted on it.   
  
"I'm going to look for Takeuchi-san," she snapped, causing Kusanagi to look at her in surprise. "You go and do whatever it is you do around this time."  
  
She stomped away from him, muttering under her breath and hoping that he wouldn't follow her and ask questions she wasn't sure she knew the answers to. She was tired, and though she tried to hide it from the others, she was also feeling stressed out and more than a little frightened. She was still trying to adjust to the reality of her older twin sister being alive and Kusanagi's obsession with chasing her and the child like Aragami god down, and she still had to contend with the occasional attack by Murakumo if he felt that they were getting too close to whatever it was he had planned for both Kaede and Susano-Oh. Add onto that this new "disappearing" act that was usually heralded by debilitating pain, and she was vaguely surprised that she was still able to walk as if nothing had happened.  
  
She sighed, thinking about the recent happenings. If Matsudaira's theory of a time traveler were correct, then a whole new level of trouble was going to be heading their way. She picked up her pace as she continued to hunt for Takeuchi while she ran through her homework list. With a start she realized that she was actually looking forward to breaking out the books. She hoped that by immersing herself in her studies she would be able to forget what was going on around her for a short while.  
  
_I never thought there would be a day when I'd actually look forward to doing my Math homework,_ she mused to herself. _ I must really be losing my mind._  
  
Kusanagi stared after Momiji's retreating back, his jaw slowly sliding southwards in shock. He blinked, collected his misbehaving jaw, and stalked off in the opposite direction of the one Momiji was taking. He didn't know what she was so irritated at. He had simply asked what Matsudaira's findings were, and she had taken his head off for his troubles. He grumbled as he headed for the nearest window, fully intent on hunting down and then killing some Aragami ass. He had to let off some steam before he took up his customary position in the tree right outside of Momiji's bedroom window. If anyone had seen his face at that moment, they might almost have been tempted to feel sorry for any Aragami the young man came across. Almost.  
_  
To be continued . . . _  
  
**A/N**: Pretty much the same terms as used before. Kitsune-bi is generally translated as fox fire.   
  
Thanks so much to everyone who's reviewed, encouraged, threatened, and been patient for this chapter. I didn't put in everything I wanted to because, well, the chapter would have been too long. ^^;;  
  
**Review Replies**:  
  
_lady:_ Thanks so much! The main pairing for Inu Yasha is going to be Sess/Kag, because I'm crazy. ^_~  
  
_dumdeedum_: Yeah, Blue Seed really does have a good ending, and the Kenshin manga does, as well. I hate that they never animated the Revenge Arc. *sigh*   
*cackle* I'm glad you enjoyed the bath scene, I had a LOT of fun writing it! As a fellow hentai, I was _very_ tempted to play with it more, but considering how Kagome was feeling and that I felt it was way too early in their "relationship" to have some fun in that area. ^_^ But man it was tempting.  
  
_shady_: Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter, sorry it took me so long. ^^;;  
  
_SailorPanda_: *laughs* Great minds DO think alike, woo! Thanks so much! I was hoping the "Kagome's a tad out of her mind so she's updating a captive audience on her life" was belivable. I"m glad you liked it. ^_^  
  
_kmf_: Yay, I'm glad you like Blue Seed, it really is a cool series. ^_^ Once I get Sess and company on the other side of the well, there will be a lot more scenes with the Blue Seed crew. I think I answered your question about the presence Sess felt near his home in this chapter, but just in case, what he felt was Yamata-no-Orochi on the hunt for the Kushinada of the past. And yeah, the Blue Seed Universe is set in the IY universe so that the two worlds over lap, but since the time frame in Blue Seed seems to pick up the pace around the time I started this, I figure that the reason Kagome doesn't know about the Aragami is because it's a recent happening in her area of the city, while else where it's been going on for some time. *scratches head* I hope that made sense. @_@ And thanks!  
  
_Crystal:_ Here ya go! I'll try to find some other places to post, as well, which might make it easier for you to find. Thanks!  
  
_Sakura91_: Blue Seed is kind of hard to find information on. It's an older series, and it wasn't really all that popular (for reasons I'll never understand) so it's not surprising that you're not familar with it, I have a feeling a lot of people don't know what it's about. ^^;; Thanks so much for your reviews, I hope you like this chapter. ^_^  



	7. Omake! Omake! Omake!

**Quickie**: This short is NOT to be taken seriously. Please keep that in mind. ^_^  
  
*******  
  
Kagome stood in front of Inu Yasha, fidgeting a little with the package she had hidden behind her back. For his part, Inu Yasha was watching her with a bemused look. What the hell was she so fidgety for?   
  
"Um, Inu Yasha? Do you know what day it is?" Kagome asked, feeling as if several butterflies were doing the Samba in her stomach.  
  
"What the hell are you going on about, Kagome? And why are you shifting around like that, you gotta pee or something?" Inu Yasha growled, feeling really nervous for some reason.  
  
Kagome glared at him, and ground out, "It's Valentine's Day, Inu Yasha, and where I come from that's a pretty important day."  
  
Inu Yasha snorted. "Important how?"  
  
Kagome sighed and brought out the box she had hidden behind her back. The sudden headache that had developed behind her right eye told her that she should just give it to him and stop trying to explain things to him. "Here."  
  
Inu Yasha took the box and gave her a puzzled look, then he opened it. His eyes grew huge and dewy when he saw all the chocolates that filled the box, and without further ado he sat down and began to devour them. Kagome heaved a sigh and sat down next to him, knowing it was useless to try and talk to him while he was eating.  
  
A strange gagging sound caused Kagome to jump to her feet and stare at Inu Yasha. The hanyou was clutching his throat as his breath rasped harshly in his throat. As her eyes widened with horror, Inu Yasha fell over and became still.  
  
"Inu Yasha?" Kagome asked, and got no response. She knelt next to him, and as she was reaching out to shake his shoulder a horrible realization stole over her. She turned and gazed in horror at the now empty box of chocolates, lessons from her childhood coming back to her and she belatedly remembered that chocolate in large quantities killed dogs.  
  
"But I thought he'd be safe since he was part dog demon," Kagome wailed.  
  
Suddenly, a clawed hand wrapped around her and dragged her away from Inu Yasha's still body.  
  
"Yes!" Sesshoumaru crowed as he clutched Kagome close to him. "You are now mine!!!"  
  
He bound off into the forest with Kagome in his arms, while Kagome said, "You're much sexier than Inu Yasha, anyway!"  
  
Behind the fleeing, insanely out of character pair, Inu Yasha's corpse twitched and sprouted several large sweat drops. "Bah."  
  
*******  
  
Alyson: Ugh, that sucked.  
Kagome: I'll say, I was completely OOC!  
Sesshoumaru: *tilts his nose in the air* Hah, you have nothing to be angry about. I, on the other hand, have much to be angry about.  
Kagome: *turns on him* Oh yeah? Like what?!  
Sesshoumaru: *slight smirk* Inu Yasha doesn't have to be dead in order for me to take what I want.  
Kagome: Right, and you've been so successful in taking Tetsusaiga from him.  
Sesshoumaru: *twitch*  
Alyson: *scribbling notes* Does that mean you want Kagome, Sesshoumaru?  
Sesshoumaru: *turns to glare at the author*  
Alyson: Eeeep! *bolts and shouts over her shoulder* I'll do better next time, promise!  
  
**Notes**: In Japan, their Valentine's Day custom differs from ours in that instead of the guy giving the girl chocolates, it's the other way around. ^_^   
  



	8. Meet the Family

Chapter Five:  
Meet the Family 

Momiji sighed in frustration as she glared at the source of her current dilemma. She had been working at this particular problem for over thirty minutes now, and she was fast reaching the end of her patience. She finally gave into her frustration with a wail, and threw her calculator across the room. She was almost finished with her Math homework, and of course the final problem had to be the one that stumped her.

As she sat there glaring at her book, familiar laughter came from outside her window. Exhaustion, irritation over her current situation in general, and a lack of food she hadn't had time to consume, all combined into a ball of hot anger. Without stopping to think, Momiji leapt to her feet, grabbed her math book, ran to her window, threw open the shutters and flung the heavy tome straight at the face of a very surprised Kusanagi. The book connected with a satisfying _thud_, and Kusanagi lost his balance; where he promptly plunged out of the tree he had been perched in with a sound somewhere between an _Urk! _and a _Damn!_

She stared blankly at the empty tree branch. She had fully expected him to dodge her impromptu projectile, but apparently he hadn't expected her to do anything like throwing a heavy book at his head. With that thought came the realization that Kusanagi was most likely going to be in a foul mood when he regained his senses, and she quickly reached out to slam her shutters shut, but was stopped by a very irate Kusanagi, who was bleeding from the nose due to Momiji's shot, leaping up onto her windowsill with her book clutched in his hand.

His appearance was so sudden that she gave out a frightened squeak as she stumbled backwards, only to wind up landing on her backside with a pained groan as she got tangled up in her own feet.

"Damnit, Momiji!" Kusanagi snarled, as upset with her fall as he was with the new headache he had developed. He didn't realize that it was impossible to sound too threatening when he had blood leaking out of his nose and the imprint of Momiji's textbook on his forehead. He lightly jumped out of her windowsill and landed on the floor, then reached down and grabbed Momiji by the wrist. He quickly lifted her to her feet, waited until she had steadied herself, then yelled while he waved her book around, "Why the hell did you do that!"

Momiji folded her arms and stared back at him, trying her best to look defiant, but a small grin kept tugging at her lips as she gazed at his bruised face. She finally gave in and burst into giggles, reaching over to hand the startled Aragami a Kleenex (tm) from the box she kept on her desk.

"I'm sorry," she managed to gasp out as Kusanagi dabbed at the blood that trickled from his abused nose, "But you look like one of those _manga _characters who gets a nosebleed from looking up a girl's skirt." She then thought about her statement, and scowled as she remembered that this was _Kusanagi _she was talking about, and that he excelled at looking up skirts. At least, he excelled at looking up her skirts in his never-ending quest to discover which animal graced her underwear that day.

Speaking of which, "Don't you DARE!" she shouted when Kusanagi grinned at her and moved forward with a familiar glint in his eye. He stopped and smirked at her, his irritation forgotten now that his nose had stopped bleeding and his head was feeling more normal. His smirk turned into a frown, however, when a loud rumbling growl reverberated through the room. Momiji's cheeks turned scarlet as she placed her hand on her stomach.

"When's the last time you ate?" he asked.

"Um," was Momiji's intelligent answer as she thought back over the day. "Around lunchtime, I think."

"That was nine hours ago," Kusanagi chided as he turned to walk to the door. "You need to eat something; otherwise you'll never increase your bust size."

She remained where she was standing for a few moments after Kusanagi left the room, blinked a few times, then shrugged and followed after him. He was right; she really did need to eat, so she decided to let the comment about her bust size slide for the moment.

AEIOU AEIOU AEIOU AEIOU (better than nothing)

Sesshoumaru leapt lightly out of the old well, and instantly knew that what Kagome had told him about the well was true. Strange sounds assaulted his ears while his nose breathed in the unfamiliar air. He didn't waste much time trying to separate the different smells, however, because Kagome chose that moment to lean heavily against his side, her labored breathing serving to remind him why he had come through the well in the first place.

Adjusting his grip so that he easily supported most of Kagome's weight, he walked towards the door that led out of the well house, pausing long enough for the girl to slide it open. Stepping outside, he allowed his eyes to take in the changes that verified he was no longer in his own time.

There was the tree that Inu Yasha had been bound to, but it was much larger than it had been when they passed it on their way to the well. There was also a wall that surrounded the general area, and a house stood several yards away in an area that was nothing more than a field of flowers in his time. There was one difference from what the girl had told him, though. There were youkai in her time, he could sense them, but they seemed to be better adept at hiding their _youki _then back in the Sengoku Jidai.

"That's my house," Kagome croaked, gesturing weakly.

Sesshoumaru grunted his acknowledgement, and moved towards the house, making sure to shorten his stride so that Kagome could walk with him instead of being carried along. He was thankful that Shippou and Rin had quieted down. He was better able to keep his senses alert and focused in case danger was lurking nearby without their constant chatter interrupting his concentration, but everything around him remained as peaceful as it could be with all the strange noises that abounded around him.

The back door opened shortly before he reached the threshold, and he found himself looking down into the startled brown eyes of a boy who appeared slightly older than Rin. The boy stared at him, blinked slowly, and then turned his eyes to the girl who leaned against his side.

"Souta," Kagome said, her voice a mere whisper of sound. The boy's eyes widened and he turned his head to bellow in a voice loud enough to make Sesshoumaru long for the ability to slap his hand over one of his sensitive ears, "MOMMA! IT'S KAGOME WITH SOME GUY WHO'S BLEEDING EVERYWHERE!"

"Sorry," Kagome muttered in response to his slight flinch.

Sesshoumaru's ears were still ringing when an older woman who bore a striking resemblance to Kagome appeared in a flurry of footsteps. She quickly took in the situation at a glance, noticing her daughter's flushed face and the way she leaned against the elegant youkai, and motioned the small group inside.

"Please bring her this way, Sesshoumaru-sama," she said, instantly recognizing Inu Yasha's older brother from the stories her daughter had told her.

Sesshoumaru inclined his head and stepped inside, commanding the fur youkai to lower both Kagome's bag and the two kids gently to the ground. Rin quickly pressed herself against his leg while she gazed at the strangers with wide eyes, and Shippou hung back but kept his eyes on Kagome. Sesshoumaru paused long enough to wind the fur youkai around Kagome's legs in order to lift her, despite her protests, into his arms again, and followed as her mother led him up a set of wooden stairs. Rin stayed with him step for step while Shippou followed closely behind him.

Kagome's mother, for she could be no other person, led him down a hallway, then opened a door and gestured him inside. Maneuvering carefully so that his armor didn't hit anything while still keeping Rin from getting too underfoot, Sesshoumaru made his way into Kagome's room, and deposited her onto the strange raised mattress her mother told him was her bed. Disentangling his fur from around her legs, he removed his arm from behind her back and stepped away, allowing her mother to move in and check her daughter over. Satisfied that, aside from her illness, Kagome was all right, she turned her attention to the youkai lord.

"We should have your wounds looked at, as well," she said.

"No need, they've already healed," Sesshoumaru said, pulling his kimono open a tad so both Mrs. Higurashi and Kagome could see his unblemished shoulder. The wounds had been deeper than he had originally thought, which explained the reason it had taken longer than normal for them to heal.

"Hey Momma," Kagome croaked, and then gave into a bout of coughing. Mrs. Higurashi watched her daughter worriedly, recognizing the signs and knowing that she needed to give their doctor a call. "How did you know this is Sesshoumaru?"

"You've told me about him, remember?" Asako asked, reaching out to brush her daughter's bangs away from her flushed face. "He and Inu Yasha have the same hair and eye color. Plus, he really does have that unearthly beauty and innate snobbishness that you told me about."

Sesshoumaru blinked and glared at Kagome, who glanced at him guiltily before flushing an even darker red. Mrs. Higurashi noticed her reaction and smiled, before she patted her lightly on the shoulder and said she was going to give Kagome's doctor a call. She rose and gave a small bow to the youkai lord who stood against the far wall, then left her daughter, fully trusting that Sesshoumaru meant them no harm.

"Unearthly beauty?" Sesshoumaru asked, his voice sounding as if he was between vexed and amused, and couldn't decide which one to settle for.

Kagome muttered something incoherent, so he decided to push a little further. "Innate snobbishness?"

"Hey, don't deny that you look down your nose at everyone. I've seen you do it while you were sitting, and that takes a special kind of snobbishness," Kagome snapped, her voice lacking fire due to its croaking quality.

"It's only natural that I look down upon inferior beings," Sesshoumaru said, tilting his head in order to gaze down the appendage in question at the girl who was gazing at him from her bed, a suspicious glint that appeared to be humor in his eye. Gods, was he actually bantering with a human and _enjoying _himself?

_How the mighty doth fall,_ a voice inside his head laughed while Kagome let out a snort, which quickly turned into another round of coughing.

"You should probably head back home," she said, leaning her head back against the headboard. "The doctor will be arriving soon, and I'll be all right."

"I want to stay!" Rin and Shippou said in unison, with Shippou explaining, "We want to make sure you're healed soon, Kagome!"

"Shippou-chan, you know humans in my time aren't accustomed to dealing with youkai. I know that I'd never seen one before I fell through the well the first time. It . . . would be extremely awkward and unpleasant if you were discovered by my doctor," Kagome explained, glancing at Sesshoumaru in order to include him in her explanation.

"You are still under my protection," Sesshoumaru said shortly, breaking into Shippou's beginning argument. "We shall not leave until you are well and I can return you to my idiot brother."

"Oh no," Kagome said, shaking her head, then grabbing it as that motion caused the room to spin slightly. "We don't know how long it'll take until I'm healthy enough to return through the well, and there's no way we can keep you here for however long that takes."

"I wouldn't say that, dear," Mrs. Higurashi said as she reentered Kagome's room with a tray full of steaming mugs. "I brought you some Chamomile, Kagome," she continued, ignoring her daughter's wide-eyed look of horror at her earlier statement.

"I didn't know what you would like, Sesshoumaru-sama, so I brought up some Oolong," she continued, handing the glowering youkai lord his own steaming mug. She had noticed the stubborn set to his jaw and was determined to defuse the situation before he lost his temper. She knew that he was VERY different from his younger brother, but she wasn't really all that willing to take a gamble with youkai tempers. Besides, he had brought her very ill daughter back home, and she wasn't about to refuse to allow him to stay if he wanted to make sure Kagome got well. Kneeling down, she offered the small girl who stood just behind Sesshoumaru's leg a soft smile as she offered her a mug of hot chocolate, and was rewarded with a cheerful grin as the girl accepted it from her. She then turned and offered the same to the little kitsune kit, who took the mug, gave a sniff, and with a happy squeal began to sip happily at the warmed beverage.

"Momma, he's the Lord of the Western Lands," Kagome croaked frantically, acting as if Sesshoumaru weren't in the room. "He needs to get back through the well in order to take care of his duties."

Sesshoumaru felt a vein pop in the face of Kagome's stubbornness, but Shippou spoke up before he could, once again, reiterate to the girl that he was not going anywhere until she was well.

"I don't think that's possible, Kagome," the kitsune said thoughtfully, looking down into his mug.

Kagome blinked at him. "Why is that, Shippou-chan?" she asked.

"Because I don't think the well will work for us unless you're with us. Remember when we were attacked by the wolf youkai who could conjure wolves from his mouth? I was running from them with the Shikon shard and I fell into the well, but it didn't take me through to your time, even though I had the shard with me."

Kagome stared at him, feeling her stomach sink as Shippou's words sank in. She remembered her desperation in trying to get through the well; the sudden sensing of the Shikon shard, and then her surprise as the magic once again worked and took her to the other side. Shippou had been at the bottom of the well in the Sengoku Jidai era, and the shard had been sitting right next to him. If the well truly worked the way they believed it to, then it should have sent him through to her time regardless of whether or not he was physically holding the shard, but it hadn't. Then how was Inu Yasha able to get through when he never had any shards with him? Kagome nearly groaned as her thoughts didn't yield up answers, only a worsening headache.

"But how are we supposed to keep you from being discovered?" she moaned, putting her face into her hands. "We can't just stuff you into a closet until my doctor leaves."

"Let me worry about that, Kagome, you just get some rest," her mother said calmly. "Sesshoumaru-sama, if you and the children would follow me, I'll give you a tour of the house and see about setting up a disguise for you before Kagome's doctor arrives."

Kagome watched with wide eyes as the Lord of the Western Lands followed her mother out of her room, a serene expression on his face. Shippou and Rin were right behind him, and Shippou tossed Kagome a confident smile before he vanished out of her door. With a resigned sigh, Kagome took advantage of the lack of visitors to get to her feet and close her bedroom door. She quickly changed into her pajamas before opening the door again, and settling herself under the covers of her bed, thinking, not for the first time, that this had been a royally bad idea.

_Not like I had much choice in the matter_, she thought to herself as she waited for her doctor, hoping that the woman would have good news and tell her that she would be better in a few days, thus limiting the time she'd have to spend with a volatile youkai lord. _Though, he's been almost . . . nice since I first woke up in his home. _

Kagome's thoughts continued to flit through her mind until she finally gave into her body's demands and drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

AEIOU AEIOU AEIOU AEIOU

"What the HELL does that bitch think she's up to!" Inu Yasha snarled as he stalked through the forest towards Kaede's village. He was in a foul mood, which was complicated by the guilt he felt over his harsh words to Kagome three nights ago when she had invited him back to her time on the night of the new moon. Once again he had spoken without thinking about his words first, and in his heart he knew Kagome was justified in the multiple "sits" she had subjected him to, though his pride and his aching back demanded that he never admit that aloud. Still, she didn't have to go and vanish on him, making him worry over her safety, which in turn served to piss him off even more and he had decided that if she was going to sulk, then fine, let her sulk. He figured that after one or two days, she would come back and they could continue on as they always had while hunting for more jewel shards.

It wasn't until the third day was nearly over and there hadn't been a single sign of Kagome or Shippou that Inu Yasha decided to go to Kaede's village and hopefully reconcile with Kagome. She had never stayed away so long before, and he was starting to become worried. It didn't help that Miroku had to toss in his own opinions and worries, and Sango just looked at him with a disapproving gaze that made him squirm more than a dozen of Miroku's scoldings.

So here he was, heading back towards the village while trying to quash the angry guilt that nipped at his heels.

He was almost in sight of the village when a scent that caused the hair on the back of his arms to rise up reached him. He skidded to a halt and turned in the direction of the bon eater's well, praying that, for once, his nose was deceiving him.

Situated on Kirara above Inu Yasha's head, Sango and Miroku watched as he suddenly stopped for a moment, and then rapidly changed directions. They both that didn't bode well, and with an unspoken agreement they turned and followed the red blur that ran along the ground beneath them.

The closer he got to the well, the more icy dread curled in his stomach. Inu Yasha easily picked up Kagome and Shippou's scent, but what caused him to pour on the speed was the way their scent was intertwined with his older half-brother and an unknown human girl's scent. He could tell that Kagome was ill, and if Sesshoumaru had taken advantage of her weakened state to use her against him in a bid to get the Tetsusaiga, then he was about to become short a brother.

He reached the clearing where the well was situated, but the individuals he sought were nowhere to be found. He growled in the back of his throat as he followed the entwined scents across the clearing to the well, where to his horror, all four individual scents vanished into the inky blackness below.

Miroku, Sango and Kirara landed in the clearing in time to see Inu Yasha vanish head first into the well, shouting Kagome's name in a tone that suggested something was seriously wrong. Miroku and Sango exchanged worried looks before they both clambered off Kirara and jogged towards the well. Then they reached the rickety structure, Sango's attention was caught by a slip of folded up parchment that had been placed against the base of the well, and she bent to retrieve it while Miroku went and peered over the lip of the well after his friend. To his surprise, his eyes were met with empty darkness, as was the norm. Instead, he saw Inu Yasha buried head first, up to his shoulders in the dirt at the well's bottom, the rest of his body extending upwards like one of Kagome's freshly shot arrows.

"Inu Yasha?" Sango called down when she joined Miroku at the top.

"What the FUCK!" Inu Yasha roared as he planted his hands on the ground and extracted his head from its embrace.

"Why didn't the well work?" Sango asked softly, and Miroku shrugged in reply, his attention on the hanyou below them.

Inu Yasha leapt out of the well, turned and jumped right back in. The monk and the taijiya watched with interest as he came to settle softly on the bottom once again. The hanyou stood with his arms crossed over his chest for a brief moment before he suddenly crouched and place his curled hands on the ground. Sango and Miroku leapt back in surprise as a veritable wall of dirt erupted from the well along with a steady stream of curses.

Sango quickly lifted Hiraikotsu above her and Miroku's heads to protect them from the rain of dirt while Kirara, back in her small form, sat at their feet.

"Do you have any idea why the well isn't working?" Sango asked over the noise of dirt and rocks bouncing off her large weapon.

"No, I have no idea," Miroku replied, watching as dirt continued to stream from the well. "But something is definitely wrong."

"Yeah, the well isn't working," Sango said sarcastically.

"No, no, with Inu Yasha," Miroku clarified. "Something must really be worrying him beyond the well not working to provoke this violent of a reaction from him."

Sango had to agree with him. Usually Inu Yasha would have done a lot of yelling and stomping around, but his current actions were bordering on pure panic, which was starting to fuel her own worry as she tried not to think of the various, and more often than not, tragic, reasons for the well to be closed. She heard a crinkling sound, and with a start remembered the slip of folded parchment she had picked up from the ground. Seeing that the wall of dirt had stopped erupting from the well, Sango placed her weapon on the ground and looked at the parchment she had crushed in her fist. She blinked when she saw Inu Yasha's name written in black ink on the slip, and she quickly returned to the now silent well, Miroku watching her movements curiously.

"Inu Yasha!" Sango called down to her friend, and stepped back as a highly upset and extremely dirty hanyou leapt out of the well.

"Why won't it work?" he nearly snarled, turning to glare at the current source of vexation.

"Inu Yasha," Sango called again, regaining his attention, and she handed the parchment to him. "This was left at the foot of the well."

Inu Yasha stared at the folded piece of parchment for a moment, before he took it from her, slipped the ribbon from around it, and began to read. His two companions watched him closely as his face changed from worry to shock to downright disbelief before he dropped the letter and stood still, staring at nothing for several moments.

"Is it from Kagome-chan?" Sango asked, hope at the thought that her friend was all right and unhurt lighting her eyes.

"I don't FUCKING believe it!" Inu Yasha suddenly roared, causing the two other members of his current group to jump slightly in surprise. He turned and began to walk away from the well, but he began to pick up speed with every footfall. Miroku had enough presence of mind to call after him to find out where he was going, and Inu Yasha called back that he was heading to Kaede's to see if she could shed any light on the workings of the well before he vanished over the horizon. The two exchanged a look, and then turned to gaze down at the discarded parchment that was lying so innocently against the grass where Inu Yasha had dropped it. Without hesitation, Miroku bent down and picked it up, then began to read.

Sango felt a small spurt of guilt over reading the letter, but it was quickly dispelled by Miroku's low whistle of surprise.

"That's interesting," he said, his eyes never leaving the parchment.

"What does it say?" Sango asked, too impatient to wait for her turn to read what was written.

"It's from Kagome-sama," Miroku began. "She says that she's fallen ill from diving into the irrigation river to rescue a small girl from flood waters caused by that massive storm we had during the new moon. "

"Did she return home to be healed?" Sango asked, and then stared in shock at Miroku's next words.

"It turns out that the little girl is a ward of Sesshoumaru, and he now feels he owes her a life debt for saving her life. She's been with him the past few days, and he's taken both her and Shippou through the well so that she can get the treatment she needs to be healed. She ends by asking Inu Yasha to not try and follow them through the well, as she is quite safe with Sesshoumaru and they would never be able to explain the disaster that would happen should he and his brother meet on the other side in her time. She also says she'll return as soon as she's well enough to travel again."

"Oh my, no wonder Inu Yasha was so upset, he probably smelled Sesshoumaru on the way here," Sango breathed. "I still can't believe . . . Sesshoumaru?"

"That's what Kagome-sama says," Miroku answered, handing Sango the letter and watching as her eyes skimmed over the words.

"I still can't believe . . . she says she's safe with Sesshoumaru?" Sango exclaimed again, flapping the letter in the air for emphasis.

"Well, if he feels he owes her a life-debt, it shouldn't be surprising," Miroku mused aloud as he placed his fingers on his chin in a thoughtful pose. "Sesshoumaru does have his own brand of honor."

"The guy has tried to kill Inu Yasha, along with the rest of us, upon numerous occasions, and you say he has honor?" Sango asked, giving him an incredulous look.

"Yes, but he's never attacked during a new moon, has he?" Miroku replied.

"But he doesn't know about Inu Yasha turning human," Sango said, then added, "Does he?"

"Inu Yasha thinks he does," Miroku said.

"He does! He never said a word to the rest of us," Sango exclaimed, surprised.

"Well, I doubt he even remembers telling me, as he was quite drunk at the time."

"Drunk? Just WHEN was Inu Yasha drunk?"

"Er," Miroku flushed a bit. "It was before we met you. Inu Yasha had, once again, upset Kagome-sama so that she left in a temper for the bathing facilities of the house we were staying in. I decided to console Inu Yasha for the harsh 'sitting' Kagome-sama gave him before she left, and invited him to partake of some sake with me. He agreed . . ."

"Probably after you dared him to do it," Sango snorted.

"And before I knew it, "Miroku continued as if he hadn't been interrupted, "He was telling me how his 'bastard of a brother' had never attacked during a new moon phase, though he was sure Sesshoumaru knew of his weakness because his hanyou smell changes to that of a full human during the day leading to the new moon, and that Sesshoumaru had been close enough in range on several occasions to be able to pick up on his changed scent easily. He can't verify his suspicions, of course, but it is rather interesting that we've never seen Sesshoumaru at all during the time of the new moon, though he seems to be everywhere else."

"Hmmm," Sango mused, her brow furrowed. "If Inu Yasha is right and Sesshoumaru does know the time of his change, then he's not attacking when he'd have the best chance of snatching Tetsusaiga for his own."

"Which shows that he's honorable in his own right. Anyone less so would have taken advantage long before now, and yet, he hasn't."

Sango sighed, and then words burst from her lips as she gave vent to her frustration. "Damnit, I don't like it! Kagome-chan's over there with a cold-blooded youkai lord with just Shippou-chan for protection! I don't care what she says in her letter; I think Kagome-chan is way too trusting for her own good, and who knows whether or not Sesshoumaru has an ulterior motive for taking Kagome-chan through the well. He could have just brought her here and turned her over to Inu Yasha."

Miroku nodded in agreement, for Sango had spoken some of his own thoughts aloud. He knew that despite Sango's seemingly calm demeanor, she was as tied up in knots over the situation as he and Inu Yasha were. He also knew that she knew that for the moment, they couldn't do anything about it, and it had to be extremely frustrating for her to just sit by and wait to see what happens as the rest of them. Perhaps even more so, because she had already lost so much. Sango was used to action, and the only reason she wasn't leaping into the well herself to try to get through was because she knew it only worked for either Inu Yasha or Kagome, and since Inu Yasha had already proven it wasn't working, then it was futile to try on their part.

Sighing, he reached out and gently touched one of her tightly clenched fists. "You know there's nothing we can do right now but hope that Kaede has some idea as to what's happened," he said softly.

"I know that, houshi-sama," Sango replied, glaring a bit. "That doesn't mean that I have to like it. And if you're going to lose your other hand if it strays any further south."

Abashed, Miroku quickly removed the offending appendage and smiled, holding his hands up for her to see. Sango shook her head in disgust and stalked past him, heading towards Kaede's village. Nothing good was coming of them just standing around and staring at the rickety old well, and asking questions was better than doing nothing. Still, the fear and frustration were forming a hard knot in her stomach, and she prayed that Kagome healed quickly and returned soon, unscathed, before the worry over her safety drove Inu Yasha into doing something stupid like seeking help from someone who couldn't be trusted to keep Kagome's secret safe. And unfortunately, there were plenty of individuals who wouldn't hesitate to use that knowledge for their own reasons.

_To be continued . . . _

_**A/N: **_ I'm _so sorry_ this took so long to get out! But I just finished my first year in graduate school (going for my Masters in Library Science) and I forgot just how much TIME school takes out of a person's life. It's not just the grunt work; it's the mental exertion that can really take the toll. And unfortunately, my poor fics got put onto the back burner while school took front burner. This is going to be a rough couple of years.

Hope you guys enjoy, and that it was at least sort of worth the wait.

Definitions same as always.


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